Lost
by jlmill9
Summary: The day after the final battle Harry wakes up to find that Ron and Hermione were taken... where as they woke to find that they had no idea who they were... or had any memories at all.
1. Lost

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters.**

**A/N: I've always enjoy reading Fanfictions where someone lost there memories so I have decided to do one myself. Hope you enjoy. **

**Updated 11/29/2010**

Chapter One

Lost

It was early in the evening when she opened her eyes. The scene in front of her was complete chaos (or at least it was to her). She was sitting on the sidewalk leaning against the wall; a man was standing over her looking confused and worried. Behind him, there seems to be two cars that had crashed and people gawking at the scene.

"Are you okay?" the man asked as he held out his hand gingerly toward her.

"I think so," she said, but when she tried to get up she felt dizzy and her head hurt.

"Just don't move," the man said, forcing her to stay where she was.

"Right," she said still feeling dizzy; that was good advice.

"You just came out of nowhere," he said in a shaky voice.

"What?" she asked. "What happened?"

The man looked even more shocked and paled as he said, "You don't remember... You ran out into the street... I didn't see you until..." he trailed off.

She looked at the cars that were crashed; one of the windshields was smashed. "You hit me... I was hit by a car!"

"I'm sorry," he said worried.

That was when she noticed the blood, she had scratches all over, her hip hurt badly but that wasn't that serious... it was her head that worried her. She raised her hand to her forehead and her fingers were soaked in blood in seconds.

"It's not your fault," she said trying to smile but it really wasn't going to happen today. Plus she was starting to feel tired and it just wasn't worth the effort.

"Come on, don't do that," he said. "I don't think you should sleep... not with a head injury like that..."

"Right," she sighed. "So did you crash into the other car after?"

"What?" he exclaimed caught off guard by the question but then almost smiled. "Yeah. My car is completely totaled now."

"Sorry," she sighed again as she heard the sires in the background coming closer.

"It's fine as long as you're okay," he shrugged, though the worry that she first notices hadn't loosened any. "I'm Josh Summer by the way.'

"I'm..." she started to say but nothing came... she didn't know! "I'm... I... I don't know."

"You don't remember?" Josh repeated an earlier question but this time there was really dread in his voice.

"No," she said tears in her eyes. "I've no idea who I am."

O

Meanwhile a half an hour later, on a street ten blocks away a man that was starting to gain consciousness was thrown unceremoniously out of a moving car. He rolled on the ground... he could tell the bruises all over, he seemed to have a broken arm, and had trouble breathing. His face also looked terrible, and the base of his skull looked to have been hit by a blunt object. The man had tried gathered himself after the roll, but he only had enough energy to look around before he property passed out.

Sometime later he opened his eyes, he was in the exact spot he had passed out however long ago and he now had dry blood all over his face.

"Do you need help?" a woman asked. She had been walking by with her boyfriend (who was looking terrified that she was talking to a '_bloody'_ stranger).

"No, I'm fine," he said having no idea why he said that. He definitely was not fine.

"You need to go to a hospital," the woman said. "There's one down the street," she added pointing down the left side of the corner street. "It's about a block away."

"Right," he said as politely as he could. He didn't know why, but he didn't want to go to the hospital.

"Come on Celia, let's go," the other man said trying to dragged the woman away. "He doesn't want your help."

"Right," the woman said sadly. "I hope you get yourself some help Mr…."

As the couple left, the '_bloody_' man stayed where he was sitting looking very confused and increasingly worried. The woman had in a way asked for his name and he couldn't think of it. And now he was really trying, but still it wouldn't come.

The man tried for another ten minutes, but nothing. He tried to remember other things too. Like where he came from? Who were his family and friends? And how did he get where he was? Still nothing. Eventually he sighed and got up (which was very difficult but eventually he managed). He started heading to the hospital, there was nothing to it now... if he didn't know anything; he needed help.

When he got to the light he almost walked across the street, however, a man put his hand out. "Are you crazy or something? Do you want to be hit by a car?"

"No," he said and inclined his head as a way to say thanks. Then he just stood there waiting, though he had no idea what he was waiting for, knowing that he really didn't want to be hit by a car. Eventually, he got across the street and checked himself in at the hospital. When he got to the emergency room the receptionist said (without looking up from her work) "Fill out all the information and the doctor will be with you as soon as he can," handing him a form.

"I can't fill this out," he said heatedly.

"Just fill out everything you know," the woman said impatiently.

"I don't know anything," he said really starting to get agitated now.

That's when the woman looked up and noticed the bloody mess that was in front of her, and most importantly, the cracked skull he seemed to have. "Sorry," she said breathlessly. "I'll see what I can do."

O

In another part of the country, a man was waking up in a castle in one of the many hallways that it had. A girl was now running towards him shouting, "Harry, I've been so worried!"

"I'm all right Gin," Harry said and looking at her, his heart started to fill, but something was wrong and he couldn't put his finger on it. "I think I just passed out..."

"Where are Ron and Hermione?" Ginny asked, it would have been a throw away question that should have meant something like 'why did they just leave you here?', but there was something behind her eyes that made him start to panic.

"You haven't seen them?" Harry asked.

"Not since the final battle," Ginny said; seeing what she was doing to Harry was making her feel terrible but she couldn't lie to him either.

"How long ago was that?" Harry asked feeling horrible.

"Almost a day," Ginny said starting to get overwhelmed. Harry put his arms around her instinctively and pulled her as close to him as he could. That was when he noticed two wands next to him. This didn't make him feel any better... In fact it made him feel sick to his stomach.

He picked them up. On of them had once belonged to Wormtail and the other was Bellatrix.

"Who's are those?" Ginny asked, hoping that she was wrong about who he was going to say; after all she didn't recognized either wand.

"Ron and Hermione's," Harry said in a cracked voice. And then he noticed something else; the slab of stone next to him had writing on it. He didn't want to read, knowing it was going to be bad, but he needed to know what it said.

_They're gone. You will never know what happened to them. Not one of you will be able to get over this. Your torture will be complete._

"No," Ginny said as she read over Harry's shoulder. Harry had just dropped the wands in his hands and fell to the floor curling up into a ball. Voldemort was gone. The wizarding world in general had just been freed. But for Harry... He just lost the war.


	2. And My Name Is

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters.**

**A/N: I'm not sure how I'm going to update this story (it all depends on how quickly I write the chapters) but I will promised that there will be at least one a week. Also the first few chapters are going to be mostly explanation but by the time I get to chapter five things will start to get more interesting. Well hope you like this. **

**Updated 11/29/2010**

Chapter Two

And My Name is...

She opened her eyes again, this time she was in a white room in a bed, quickly realizing that it was a hospital. She looked around and noticed that the man that had crashed into her, Josh if she remembered correctly, was there. He was asleep in a chair by her bed so she took her time really looking at him. He had dark hair that was long and shaggy looking; he seemed to be tall and was very good looking. And as she stared at him she remembered that he had the most beautiful colored eyes (a deep blue that reminded her of the ocean). Those eyes, more than anything else made her feel comfortable with him... but she knew they weren't right somehow...

"Oh good, you're awake," a nurse said walking into the room checking her vitals. "Do you remember anything?" she added frowning; the nurse didn't think it was the best question to ask the young woman seeing as if she didn't it would scare her; but the doctor insisted the question was necessary.

"I don't think so," the girl sighed. "Not since I woke up at the accident site."

"Well at least you remember that," Josh said waking up and smiling at her; though she noticed the smile didn't reach his eyes.

"Why, so I can remember you Josh?" the girl smiled but winched slightly, causing her to notice the bandage on her head for the first time.

"There's that," he smiled kindly at her. "But I was thinking more about the fact that you're able to retain you memories now."

"Was there a danger I wouldn't?" she asked nervously.

"The doctor had said it was a possibility, yes," the nurse said. "Though I don't know how Mr. Summers knew that... we certainly didn't tell him."

"I have my ways," he smiled charmingly at her. "Okay so I overheard the doctor saying it to you when I went to get coffee," he finally admitted when the nurse continued to glare at him.

"Well anyways, the doctor should be in here shortly to explain everything to you," the nurse said shooting Josh one last dirty look and then she left the room.

"How are you feeling?" Josh asked tentatively

"Basically okay," she said. "Nothing hurts at least."

"That's good," he smiled.

"I don't mean to sound rude," she said and she hoped he wouldn't take this the wrong way and leave her. "But why are you still here?"

"You're very direct, aren't you?" he laughed (this time he really was laughing).

"I guess I am," she smiled at the fact that she had just learned something about herself she didn't know before.

"I'm here because I needed to know you were all right," he said softly.

"Most people wouldn't have bother," she said and then she sighed. "It's funny how I know that, but can't remember a thing about myself."

"I guess your basic knowledge is still intact, that good at least," he said.

"There's more to your story isn't there?" she asked, knowing that she was right somehow. When he didn't say anything for a minute she added, "You don't have to tell me... I… shouldn't have asked."

"No, it's all right," he forced himself to say and then took a breath. "My sister died in a car accident last year…"

She looked sadly at him; yes that would explain his protectiveness and need to help her.

"Not like this... she was in a car too... but... I had to make sure you were okay," he continued with a shaky voice.

"I understand," she smiled at him, he looked upset (like he was about to cry) but he smiled back at her.

"You sort of look like her," he said. "Not really, just the wavy hair, though hers was lighter..."

It was then that she realized that she didn't even know what she looked like. She started to cry; how could she go on not knowing herself, how was she supposed to live and support herself now.

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean..." Josh said feeling anxious.

"Can you hand me a mirror?" she asked making him look at her sadly.

"Yeah," he said and got one that was on the stand; the nurse thought she might need it.

She looked at herself. Nothing. There was nothing familiar about her reflection. She was a stranger to herself. She had brown hair that she could tell was wavy and uncontrollable though the bandage was in the way, and large brown eyes, she guessed that she could easily express her every wimp in those eyes and thought that she would have to control that. She thought the over all affect was quite nice though she was no beauty queen.

"I think you're lovely," he said after giving her a moment to get to know herself again.

"I'm really not," she sighed and he smiled at her, but before he could say anymore the doctor walked in.

"Good morning," the doctor said. "I'm Doctor Jonathan Green."

"Nice to meet you," she said shaking the hand that he offered her. "I'd like to introduce myself to you, but seeing as I don't know who I am, that's very difficult."

"Yes," Doctor Green said smiling; glad she was able to take it in good humor. "I'm sorry Mr. Summers, but if you would excuse us I think..."

"Is it okay if he stays?" she asked, she didn't have anyone and she wanted someone there; after all he was the person she knew the longest.

"Are you sure?" Dr. Green asked. "There are some personal things I have to tell you."

She gulped, not liking the sounds of that, but said, "It's okay."

"All right," Dr. Green sighed. "First of all, it's a good sign that you remember waking up at the scene of the accident. It means you won't have any farther memory lost."

"What about my original memories?" She asked knowing she wasn't going to like the answered but she needed to know anyways.

"I'm sorry," Dr. Green said. "There's nothing I can do about that. The mind is difficult thing to fathom so it's not easily fixed. However, that doesn't mean that things won't come back to you. I'm sad to say that in your case it will likely be difficult not only because your injuries were extensive but because you don't have anyone around to help you remember..."

"Doctor," Josh said and the Doctor sighed and blushed as he noticed the scared look on the girl's face.

"Sorry," he said. "The next thing will be hard to hear, and I asked again if you're sure you want this young man here."

"Yes," she said as the said young man grabbed her hand.

"Very well," Dr. Green smiled; it was nice to see that some young people still showed kindness. "There was a lot of damage to you that wasn't caused by the car crash."

The girl gasped and looked horrified, as the boy looked shocked but squeezed her hand reassuringly to make her calm down.

"It's mostly cuts and burns and superficial injuries, but I would say that you have gone through some major trauma recently and you're just starting to get over it," Dr. Green said this all very fast, hoping that it was like the bandages he was always ripping off, and hurt less that way. "That is another reason why it will likely be harder for you to regain your memories. Sometimes the brain likes to shut down to protect itself from unpleasant thoughts."

"So I shouldn't try to remember?" she asked and the doctor was surprised to find the voice to be even.

"No, I wouldn't say that," he said kindly. "I've found no evident of harm happening to you before a few months ago, not even a broken bone. I would say that you likely had a happy life before... You probably have plenty of things worth remembering."

"Thanks," she said. "Is there anything more?"

"Yes," Dr. Green said he didn't feel comfortable bring this up to the girl and the stranger holding her hand, but he had to. "Giving you status we found it necessary to check to see if you have been raped, which I'm pleased to tell you we have found no evidence to suggest that you were." The girl clenched up when he mentioned that but sighed in relief by the time he finished. "Because of the scaring it is difficult to see if you were... intimate with anyone, but we know that you were definitely not defiled within the last year."

"Well that's something good," she sighed; she didn't want to think about this anymore.

"I think I'll let you get your rest," Dr. Green said. "Before I go I should say that you will have to stay here for two weeks at least and in a few days someone will be down here to make an identity for you so you should think of a name."

"So you don't know who I am," she sighed.

"I'm sorry, you didn't have any ID on you," the doctor sighed.

"Thank you," she smiled at him. "I'll think of a name."

The doctor left and Josh and the girl sat in silence. She didn't like it; this not knowing. It was killing her and yet she really didn't want to think about it. "So, do you know of any good names?" she asked to get her mind off it.

"What?" Josh asked startled, he was just thinking how sad it was to be this girl. "Oh... how about Jean?

She looked at him; it was almost familiar but she didn't know why. "I like it."

"It was my sister's name," Josh said sadly. "I think it suits you."

"Oh," she said shifting uncomfortably; she really like Josh but she didn't want him to think of her as his sister. That wouldn't be healthy for either of them. "Are you sure it would be all right?"

"I think she'd like that," he said softly.

"All right then," she said; she did like the name after all and she wasn't really sure if she would see Josh again anyways. "I think I'll be Jean Green."

"Are you sure?" Josh said laughing. "It's kind of a rhyming name?

"I like it?" she pouted.

"All right, it's your name," Josh laughed even harder than before because of the expression she was using. "Well Jean Green. I really have to go back to work now."

"Oh, all right then," '_Jean_' said sadly; she really will have to work on guarding her emotions.

"Don't worry, I'll come back tomorrow and see how you're coming along," Josh said standing up, he wanted to hug her but didn't know if that was appropriate so he settled with just shaking her hand.

"See you tomorrow then," Jean said smiling.

O

It was at the other end of the hall that the '_bloody_' man, who was no longer bloody, was starting to gain consciousness. He opened his eyes to a blinding whiteness that made him groan. "Good, you're awake," the same nurse that had checked him in said.

"I guess so," he said grouchily.

"I'm sorry about before," the nurse said sadly. "Most people that come in as badly injured as you were come in ambulances."

"I'll remember that for the next time I'm injured like this," he said, not understanding what an ambulance was but that didn't really matter right now.

"You better," the nurse smiled at him, the boy seemed nice and she wonder how he got so hurt.

"Do you know what happened to me?" the man asked, it was horribly frustrating not knowing who you are or how you got in the shape you're in and what was going to happen to you next.

"The doctor will be in shortly," the nurse sighed.

"That bad huh?" the man smiled at her.

"Yes," she laughed, he really was charming when he wanted to be.

"Ah, there you are?" said a man that had walked into the room. "And it looks like our John Doe has finally woken up too. Good, good."

"Hello," the man in the bed said unnerved; what does _'John Doe'_ mean?

"I'm Doctor Jack Williams," the doctor said cheerfully. He seemed too young to be a doctor the man thought, but what does he know anyway.

"I really must be going," the nurse said and didn't notice the man face fall a little but he pulled it together by the time she looked at him. "I hope you feel better soon."

"You just want to get rid of me right," he smiled.

"You know it," the nurse said laughing as she left.

"Anyway," Dr. Williams said (he was quite amazed by the interaction between the boy and the nurse). "Most of your wounds were superficial so they will be healed in no time. Your arm was sprained but it should be healed within a few weeks... same with you bruised ribs. Your head injury was obviously more serious but I believe that even that wasn't as bad as it looked."

"What about my memories?" he asked worried.

"I'm sorry about that, but I can't say when they will come back," Dr. Williams frowned. "It's different in every situation... it could take days, years or it might never come back."

"Do you know why I'm in the condition that I'm in?" he asked.

"Not for sure of course," Dr. Williams sighed. "But most of your wounds are consisted with being a gambler..."

"Um... what?" the man asked confused, what did betting have to do with this?

"You know if you went to a loan shark or something," Dr. Williams said.

"Loan Shark?" He asked still confused.

The doctor sighed, he wasn't good at this part; he was never one to gamble... he spent most of his time studying and then working. "Basically, someone would gamble a lot of money and lose but couldn't resist still gambling so they get money from someone else. If they still lost and couldn't pay... well usually the loan shark would beat the person up..."

"Oh, that's bloody nice," he groaned.

"Well, this might not have been the case," Dr. William said.

"Right," he sighed dejectedly.

"And that's the worse thing that could have happen," Dr. Williams said trying to cheer the boy up. "Besides, you could think of this as your chance to start over."

"So you think I shouldn't bother to remember... nothing worth remembering," he said bitterly.

"I wouldn't say that," Dr. Williams said sadly. "You likely have a family and friends... there are plenty of things I'm sure you want to remember."

"Yeah... Family," he said and there was a small smile on his face now. He did want to know more about his family... at least it made him happy just thinking about it.

"Well, it seems like in a few weeks you'll be fine," Dr. Williams smiled. "And someone will be here soon to help you deal with things. It might be helpful if you came up with a name for yourself."

"A name," he said looking thoughtful.

"Yeah, unless you want to be called John Doe forever," Dr. Williams laughed as he left the room.

The man just sat there wondering what a good name would be for him. He didn't really know many names, so at least he wouldn't have a long list to chose from, but he still felt odd picking one for himself. Hm… Harry, George, Bill, Charlie, Percy (that one was a little odder, why did he know that name), Neville, Fred (that one was hard to think of for some unknown reason)... but none of those felt right for him. A part of him hope that he remembered those names because they were important to him... that they were people in his life, but he couldn't place any of them... there where no familiar faces to go along with the names.

The man sighed, thinking this was more trouble then it was worth and it was fine if he just went with the _'John Doe'_ name, what was so bad about that anyways.

"What's the matter?" the nurse said coming back in the room checking on him.

"The Healer told me to chose a name for myself, but I can't think of one," he said immediately.

"Healer," the nurse scoffed. "That's different. Anyways, it is a tall order to name oneself."

"Do you have any suggestions?" he smiled at her.

"I know a few good names, but I'm not sure what you look like," she said thoughtfully.

"What I look like?" he said eyes going wide. "I don't even know what I look like."

"Oh dear, Jack didn't even show you a mirror," the nurse said shaking her head. "The man is brilliant, but he doesn't have an ounce of common sense."

She left the room at that and returned in a few minutes with a mirror in her hand. The man looked at it, not really liking all the bruises he saw all over his face (it made it harder to know what he really looks like). However, nothing could stop him realizing that he had bright red hair... it was almost an orange color but it seem to go well with his blue eyes. It wasn't as bad as it could be, he thought shrugging his shoulders, and after the bruises fade he probably be a decent looking bloke.

"You can be Eric... or Michael... or Brian..." the nurse started saying names.

"Hm... I think I look like a Matt," he said cheerfully, he didn't know where he came up with that name, it didn't feel familiar but somehow he liked it.

"Yeah, I can see that," the nurse smiled.

"Thanks for the help," '_Matt_' said smiling.

"I didn't really do anything," she dismissed.

"You made me looked at myself," he said shrugging his shouldered. "It helped me see who I was."

"Are you going to pick a last name?" the nurse questioned.

"Argh," he groaned. "Do I have to?"

"I guess not," the nurse laughed and left the room.

O

About half an hour after he saw the message the others found Harry and Ginny. Harry was still curled up, but his head was in Ginny's lap and he was clinging to her like his life depended on it (which was likely true when he looked back at this time years later he always feared what would have come to him if she wasn't there). He was staring off into space; eyes vacant like he wasn't seeing anything and there were silent tears streaming down his face.

Ginny was crying too, she wished that Harry would be holding her, she wanted his strong arms wrapped around her (telling her everything would be okay, that they would make this right somehow), but she knew that wasn't possible. She took comfort in holding him though. That he didn't stay away (or pushed her away) from him.

That was how the rest of the Weasleys found them. Charlie had found them first and knew from the moment he saw them that something was terribly wrong, so he sent a Patronus to get the rest of the family.

Mrs. Weasley was so relieved to see her surrogate son that she didn't notice at first the warning signs. However, before she was even able to reach him she could tell that something was horribly wrong. That he had lost something even farther than what he had already lost in this war, and as she reached him and was kneeling before him, tears were streaming down her face as well, for she knew that there was only one reason for this. One reason why he would be this devastated and that was if something happened to Ron or Hermione, or (and somehow she knew it was this one) both. She had now lost two sons and a girl she had considered a daughter.

"Harry," she said placing a hand on his shoulder.

He had been staring in her direction the whole time, but he hadn't seen her, nor any of the other Weasleys behind her. He jumped when she touched him and when he recognized her; his eyes became wide and backed away from her. He wanted to run away, but he couldn't find the energy to move (and Ginny was keeping a tight hold of his hand).

Mrs. Weasley eyes watered more, she could see it, Harry blamed himself for whatever happened to Ron and Hermione and he couldn't face them. She wouldn't let this happen! She will not let another of her sons leave her. "Harry," she repeated as she caught him in one of her tightest grips and hugged him. "It's not your fault..."

He didn't say anything, he couldn't. His grief was burning him alive and he could barely breath. He finally sobbed loudly. "I should have been there... I thought it was over... I let them..."

"It's okay... let it out," Mrs. Weasley said holding him tighter as he sobbed. She was sobbing too.

"What happened?" Mr. Weasley asked Ginny softy. George had sat next to Ginny and was now holding her, his expression was completely lost, his two favorite brother where now gone. Ginny couldn't say anything so she just pointed to the slab.

"They were taken," Bill said reading the stonewall; it was better then dead... but only just.

"They could have been killed," Harry said shaking uncontrollable in Mrs. Weasley's grasp. Though Bill's words had put a grain on hope in his sorrow. "We don't know."

"You would know that," Ginny said calmly.

Harry looked at her and she looked back. All he wanted to do was stay there, just curled up into a ball again and do nothing. He wanted to close his eyes and have everything be better when he opened them again, but he couldn't. So he detached himself from Mrs. Weasley grip and (still staring into Ginny's eyes) said, "we have to start the search for them immediately."

"Right," Mr. Weasley said and sent a Patronus to Kingsley.

Harry closed his eyes... it was the last thing he wanted to do after his long terrible fight against Voldemort, but he didn't have any more choice in this matter as he had in that one (he actually had less). He was going to have to put everything he had into trying to find the two people that he could never bare to lose... the first two people that he ever learned to love and knew that had loved him in return.


	3. A Little Help

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters.**

**A/N: Okay now that I have given Ron and Hermione new names, I'm not sure if I should call them by their new names or stick with their old ones (basically I'm trying to use 'he' or 'she' as much as I can), but I would like to know what would be best. Thanks, and I hope you enjoy this chapter. **

**Update 11/29/2010**

Chapter Three

A Little Help

It has been two weeks and not much as change for her in that time. Although it had became clear that Josh wasn't going anywhere, judging by his daily visits, for which she was internally grateful. She was really starting to like Josh, he was kind, helpful and funny; though the best thing about him was that it didn't seem like he was developing any feelings towards (feelings that she knew that couldn't reciprocate, though she didn't really know why). She loved hearing him talk about his life and childhood, it didn't even make her sad that she didn't know anything about herself, and it made her two week stay in the hospital almost bearable.

About three days after she had been brought to the hospital someone came to visit her so they could help her make a new identity for her. It was really odd and disconcerting filling out these forms, knowing that it was all made up, but she knew that it was important for her to do this. If she was going to have any kind of future; one where she could get a job or go to school (at that thought her whole face brightened up and she could tell she really like school) she needed to do this. It was decided that she looked to be about eighteen and Josh insisted that she must have been a Virgo seeing as she had even managed to organized the drab room she was staying in so her birthday was set at September 3. After the long process was done, she felt better somehow, knowing that she was someone… maybe not the person that she was originally… but someone never the less, was very relieving to her.

However, that was almost two weeks ago and today was the day that she was finally going to leave this place and start her new live. She couldn't help but feel lucky that it was Josh that ran into her, because he was turning out to be an invaluable friend and source of comfort. He had original offered to have her at his house, but seeing her slight hesitation he said that he would get a small flat for her and it was ready in time for her to move straight there (which he barely managed to do). He said that he was willing to pay for it… saying that he did run her over so he owned her something, but Jean wouldn't let him do that so he said that he would pay for the first month rent and she would pay him back after that. She will be able to do this seeing as the other thing that he was doing for her was getting her a job at his dad's law firm (just a simple filing job that she would likely be bored to tears with but at least it was a job). Yes, she was really thankful for him, seeing as she wouldn't have a clue where she would be without all his help, and was happy that she would be able to stand on her own in a few months.

Having the last thought in her mind, wanting to be able to support herself as soon as possible, she made sure that Josh was going to find a flat that she would be able to afford, having already learn how much she would earn as soon as she got her job (and making sure that he wasn't offering her too much "You make it difficult for me to do things for you when your being this rational," he told her when they had this conversation two days after she got her identity; he seems a little annoyed but highly amused by this). So Josh found her a nice one bedroom flat that had a small kitchen and living room that was at the highest end of the prices she would aloud, but knew that she would love it (or at least he hoped she would) when she saw it; besides all the rest of the places he saw were horrendous and he wouldn't let her go near them. Plus it had the advantage of only being a ten minute walk form his flat and forty-five minute walk to the University that they both knew that she would be going to once she got settled enough.

That was the one thing that was a little odd about her, or more precisely her memory lost. It was obviously within an hour of her waking up in the hospital that she had a certain thirst for knowledge… she had asked the nurse plenty of question until one of them finally had enough of it and printed her out everything she had on memory lost. She was able to grasp all the material that was in the pamphlets, which made the doctor comment that she most have a very studious mind, but he had soon discovered that her practical knowledge only went to about primary school. This confused the Doctor, it was so obvious that she must have gone on to more schooling but there was of things that she didn't have any of the knowledge that went with that (and he didn't know how to explain the fact that her memory seem to be working different with this part then the rest).

Upon discovering her thirst of knowledge Josh once again come to the rescue by getting her books about any and every subject that he could think of (or that she could think of asking about). This didn't only help her fill those hours when she had nothing to do in that hospital room but it also made her feel more at home then anything else had.

"Miss Green," Doctor Rachael Smith said. She was a psychiatrist that dealt mostly in memory lost and has been helping Jean the last few weeks to see if she could remember anything. Jean hadn't remembered anything though she had dreams that boarded on being nightmares of bright lights and fuzzy pictures (she thought that once she was out of the hospital and off the pain medication she was on, she was really going to be haunted by these dream- something she is not looking forward to).

"Yes," Jean said smiling at the doctor; she had come to like her over the last few weeks.

"I was just wondering if you would like to continue to see me in the future," Rachael said.

"I'm not sure if I could afford that for a while," Jean sighed.

"Oh," Rachael sighed too. She had already seen how independent this girl was and knew better to try and force the issue, but she wasn't quite finished yet. "It will help you… to talk about this with someone."

"I know," Jean said. "You've already help me so much… but."

"Say not more," Rachael put up her hand. "But please come and see me as soon as…"

"What's this?" Josh said coming into the room. "Hello Dr. Smith."

"Mr. Summers," Rachael smiled at him; he was very cute after all. "It's nice to see you again."

"I had to be sure to say goodbye didn't I," Josh smiled at her. "But what were you saying about Jean coming to see you?"

"I said it would be a while before I could see her again," Jean said looking at him suspiciously and wasn't disappointed; he looked like he was up to something.

"Why?" Josh asked. "I know that seeing doctors is horrible (he shot a smirk at Rachael and she rolled her eyes at him) but it will help you to see her."

"I know," Jean said annoyed. "I just told Dr. Smith that…"

"So we're in agreement that you're going to continue to see her," Josh said smugly.

"I can't afford it, and I will not have you paying for it either," Jean glared at him and Rachael had a hard time not laughing at the way the two reacted together.

"I don't have to," Josh said smugly. "Therapy is paid by the insurance. You were in a car accident remember."

"Oh," Jean said. "But won't that make your insurance go up… and are you sure that it's covered."

"Yeah, I'll have to pay like ten dollars more a mouth or something," Josh waved his hand at her impatiently. "And it's covered so stop worrying."

"Now that that's settle Jean," Rachael said smiling now. "When can I see you again?"

"I think I'll need time to settle," Jean smiled too. "How about next week."

"Sounds good," Rachael said and they made plans to meeting the following Wednesday (it was Thursday right now) and Rachael told her how to get to her offices, seeing as she had been visiting the girl at her room since she has been at the hospital.

"So are you ready to go?" Josh asked holding out his hand for her.

"I'm ready to get out of her, that's for sure," Jean said and took his hand smiling.

O

Getting his identity was almost as easy for Matt as it was for Jean. The lady came in and they filled out the information. It took him five minutes to pick his last name 'Williams' it was all he could think of and somehow he just knew that his last name just start with a 'W', he was adamant about that. Then another two for the lady to convinced him his first name should be Mathew (it sounded more prestigious) and he could go my Matt if he wanted. They decided that he too was eighteen, (though the nurse thought he might have been twenty with how tall he was) and he said that he would just take May 3 (the day he wake up in the street) as his birthday.

However, other then that he was having a harder time coming to terms with things. He was alone most of the time, though the nurse would check on him every once in a while and they would laugh easy enough. It was annoying being in here all the time not being able to do anything. He too was being visited by Rachael (of course seeing as he too had lost his memory) and he found it almost easy to open up to her, but he had problems doing that to the other doctor or nurse that were trying to help him.

It might have something to do with the fact that he felt like an idiot every time he would react strangely to something (like when they turned on the TV for the first time he nearly jump out of his bed in shock). It was harder to tell how much he knew, though at least it looked like he could write at an acceptable level, but he didn't seem to know any history or science or anything like that. To add to the fact, he didn't seem that inclined to learn, or at the very least he seem to grow impatient with the books that he tried to read as soon as he opened them.

Not to mention the closer it got to the time he was to be released, the more worried he felt; he had nowhere to go and no means to support himself. At least that's what he thought was going to happen until the day before when he talked to Rachael about it.

"What do you think, we were going to let you wonder the streets or something?" she laughed. "I've made arrangements with a boarding house down the street that you can stay at and a job that you could start working at. It's a labor job, I thought you could handle that, though you might want to look for a new job as soon as you can, there's not much of a chance of advancement there."

"I don't think I have to worry about that now," Matt smiled. "Thanks Dr. Smith."

"You know you can thank me in other ways," Rachael smiled back. "Keep coming to see me."

"No offense but I really don't want to do that," Matt said.

"Well, you see I'm about to make an offer you can't refuse," Rachael smirked.

"Right," Matt said rolling his eyes.

"I'm offering to pay your hospital bills and to allow you to come to me for free," Rachael said seriously.

"Really," Matt said and the looked at her suspiciously; he knew, though he didn't know how, that he never liked being a charity case. "Why?"

"Because I'm doing a study in this area," Rachael answered honestly, knowing that Matt would appreciate that best. "I'm close to being able to write a book and your case is a very interesting one… I want to add it to the book."

"Argh," Matt groaned. "I don't want to be in a book."

"Don't worry, no one will know it's you," Rachael laughed at his reaction. "And I promise that you'll only have to see me once a week…"

"Argh," Matt groaned again.

"Come on, it's not that bad," Rachael pleaded.

"You're right," Matt sighed. "I can't refuse that can I?"

"Nope," Rachael smiled.

"Fine, but I'm not going to be happy about it," Matt grumbled as he made his way to leave.

"As long as you're there, I don't care how you feel!" Rachael shouted after him; of course this wasn't true and he know it, but it did make him laugh.

O

"This isn't working!" Harry hissed. He was surrounded by a room full of people and everyone was trying to give their opinion about what they thought was best. "I think we need a break."

"We have to decided this now Potter," McGonagall said, she was completely devastated when she learned of Ron and Hermione disappearance (it was no secret that Hermione was her favorite student and it wouldn't be surprising if she had a soft spot for Ron too). "We have to start the search as fast as we can."

"And I know you don't want to hear this, but there are other things that need to be taken care of too," Kingsley said gravely.

"I know that," Harry sighed, his eyes losing all life (not that he had much life in his eyes before). "It's just that we've been talking for over an hour but nothing has come of this."

"Then why don't you tell us what you think should happen?" Kinsley said thoughtfully.

"I don't know," Harry sighed again. He didn't want to make a decision like this, but he could see that Kingsley was willing to do whatever suggested. "I think that Mr. Weasley's idea was the best."

"Very well," Kingsley nodded his head. "I'll get some of he Aurors to look for any sign of them... or anything that's suspicious at the known Death Eaters locations."

"Thanks," Harry said; and he thought he would be relieved that they were finally doing something but he wasn't. It just made him feel hallow inside now that he didn't even have the horrendous meeting to help him feel like he (he himself) was doing something.

"Now, we really need to discussed what we should do about those we lost in the battle," McGonagall said, her voice was as even as ever but she looked devastated about everything that happened over the last year.

Harry sighed, and left the room, they could tell him later what they came up with. He really couldn't handle that decision right now, not after everything else. He was about to crash down again, and he would welcome that, sweat oblivion- no thinking at all. But a small hand had grasped his own, and that was even better than the crash.

"I didn't want you to be alone," Ginny smiled, her eyes sadder than he has ever seen them.

"You mean you didn't want to be away from me," Harry said even managing to smile.

"Same difference," Ginny sighed and leaned her head on his chest. Harry just held her, knowing that this was the best he could get with the way things were.


	4. Starting over

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters.'**

**Updated 11/29/2010**

Chapter Four

Starting over

Josh was right; Jean fell in love with the flat that he had gotten her while she was in the hospital the moment she saw it. The bedroom was a descent size and one of the walls had a bookcase in the corner that had about ten books on it (a fact that caused her to glare at Josh, saying that she was going to have to pay him back for those too).

"You know I like giving things," Josh groaned at her responds.

"That's nice, but I don't feel right about accepting them," she shrugged. "I guess one could be my house warming present though."

"Whatever," Josh said shaking his head but smiling at the same time.

Life had quickly fell into a routine for her over the next few months. She always woke up early, usually to go to work but on the days that she didn't she just used her extra time to read (which was the only time that she allowed herself to read for pleasure). She worked from 8-5 everyday at the law firm, and after the first month (having impressed all of her bosses) was promoted to being a personal assistant to one of the lawyers that worked there. That meant a lot more work (and money too) but she was still able to manage it nicely.

After she would come home from work she would immediately pick up one of her many books, and use that time to learn more about a vast amount of subjects. She had applied to the University that was close to her flat, and with the help of her current boss she was able to get accepted to study there. So she was using this time to see what it was that really interested her, and found (to her bosses pleasure) that she wanted to pursue a career in law. With the extra money that she was earning with the promotion she soon discovered that she would be able to pay for the University by herself, which filled her with great pride. However, as soon as classes started she was going to have to cut back her hours and it would be tougher to get by the next semester but she was determined to make it work somehow (and her boss was willing to work with her schedule just so he could keep her).

Josh would also come to visit her at least once a week, something that she highly enjoyed; seeing as she did need a break from reading every once in a while. Josh had also introduced her to his parents about a month after the accident and she got on quite well with them, James (Josh's father) was even the one that had first suggested that she study law (he was always looking for the next good lawyer, and was dishearted when his own son decided to be a writer instead, though he was proud too).

She would also go at least once a week to see Rachael, trying to decipher everything, mostly the weird dreams she has been having since the she got out of the hospital. Some of them were definitely not dreams; they were flat out nightmares, ones that caused her to wake up screaming too. The details in those were thankful obscure and all she could really gather by them is that they were painful and they happened a little too often to be fictional. She could hear the mad laughter of an insane woman and the wild shouts of someone… someone that was in the deepest pain but she couldn't do anything for, though she so desperately wanted to help him.

However, she did have regular dreams too; or at least they weren't nightmares. She would often dream of two people sitting near her in various different places. They were so simple, just her sitting next to two boys- that she figured were her age and were likely her friends- who were always smiling or laughing. One of the boys had dark hair that was very messy looking (but in a good way), and he had the most beautiful shade of green eyes that she ever seen, hidden behind a pair of glasses. The other boy had brilliant red hair, freckles and blue eyes like the ocean (which she knew were the reason why she liked Josh's eyes so much). And then there were the dreams about a man that she had no idea what he looked like except that he had brilliant red hair (and she often wondered if it was the boy she must have been friends with but she had no way of knowing), and he would do things to her that she would never mention to a living soul.

That was it, that's all she had left of her memories, which made her really sad whenever she allowed herself to think about it, though that didn't happen much. She busied herself with doing everything she could to make a happy life for herself, and didn't dwell on the past too much. That doesn't mean that she didn't want to find out everything she could about who she was, and that if she did find something she wouldn't explore it with all her might, she just wasn't going to let it rule her life.

O

Once again, Matt was having a more difficult job trying to acclimate to his new living situation. The boarding house he was now living in wasn't so bad, there were a lot of other people living there, most of which he was able to get on with easily. His job on the other hand was physically exhausting and mentally boring. He quickly took Rachael's advice and applied to other jobs that didn't really require that much education but would be better than the one he had started with. After a month he did get a better job but decided to keep the other one as well, he liked that biceps the job seem to give him (besides the more money he could make the better right).

However, he was soon bored with his other job too and knew that he had to find something he wanted to do, because if he had to do these simple jobs for the rest of his life he was going to go insane. He asked Rachael about it, she was the only one that he felt comfortable enough to bring up his worries too… after all it did have something to do with her job, right? It couldn't hurt to come to her for this.

"Maybe you should try to go to school or something," was the first thing that Rachael suggested.

"Argh," Matt rolled his eyes. "I don't see myself going to school… not unless I know what I want to do."

"So what do you want to do?" She asked.

"I don't know," Matt groaned. "That's my point."

"No you miss understood," Rachael sighed. "I wasn't asking if you knew what you wanted to do… I was asking what you like doing. Or more importantly what interest you."

"I'm not sure," Matt said thoughtful. "I'll get back to with that."

He left her office shortly after that and thought it over for the next couple of days. What was he good at? What interested him? Well he was pretty strong, he had found out seeing as his first boss was pleased with his work. He also enjoyed being outside a lot. He had even started jogging in the afternoons (whenever he had time between his two jobs) and he really liked that. So, something physical maybe.

It wasn't until Mrs. Clark, the women that ran the boarding house, told him that he was a considerate boy and very helpful that he realized that he liked helping people too. He was always willing to do things when asked, though he would grumble about it out loud making it appear that he was hacked off about it. The key factor that really made him see what he wanted to be didn't come until his friend John, they guy that he shared a room with, told him that he had a real sense of justice and stubbornly stuck to it. It was just a throw away comment that was said because he was often hear complaining about they way some people tried to take advantage of Mrs. Clark hospitality, or a comment on the crime wave that seem to be going around.

When he put them all together though, it all seem to make sense. He wanted to be a policeman. He wanted to help people feel safe, and make sure that nice people like Mrs. Clark and the man down at the corner that owned the small grocery store (who was robbed twice in the last month) didn't get bothered anymore. But that wasn't enough, he decided as he lay in his bed later that night. He didn't want to just stop robberies; he wanted to do something really important. Again he brought this up with Rachael, who seemed quite impressed (and pleased) with the conclusion he came up with.

"Maybe you want to be a detective then," she suggested. "You know, solve murders or something like that."

"A detective," Matt said thoughtfully. "Yeah that sounds good."

"I think you might want to go to school for that though," Rachael said.

"Is that your answer for everything?" Matt huffed, but smiled.

"Oh, be quiet," Rachael laughed. "I really mean it this time. Do you think you can handle that?"

"I think I could," Matt said and his eyes looked more determined than she had ever seen them before. "Not that I could get into a school even if I wanted to," he added looking self-conscious again.

"That will be difficult," Rachael sighed. "I'll see if I can help any. But just remember, that I'm going to have to go out on a limp here for you, so don't disappoint me."

"I wont," Matt smiled. "Thanks for all you're help."

It took every power she had, but eventually she was able to get him enrolled in the nearby University (it probably would have been easier if Jean weren't going there too, they already had there quota of memory lost students). He had plenty of money to pay for the tuition, seeing as he hadn't spent that much of himself except to buy food and pay for rent (which was dirt cheap), and he was finally feeling like his new life was about to start.

O

Harry was lying on his bed, the one that he had been sleeping on for that last few months- it was in Percy old room because he couldn't bare to go into the antic bedroom that he once shared with Ron. It was odd for Harry to be just lying there, but for once he was allowing the full extent of the situation hit him, which filled him with such overwhelming grief that he couldn't move.

"There you are," Ginny said coming in the room, she was surprise to say the least to find in still in bed. Usually he was so involved in trying to find his two best mates that he wouldn't allow himself a second to even take a break. He had been over ever piece of evidence they found a hundred times… hoping that there would be some kind of clue. He had help search some of the places that once have been Death Eaters hind outs (an Auror always going along with him since there was still plenty of danger out there). He has done so much, and worked so hard over the past months, hardly ever eating or sleeping (he would usually pass out because of exhaustion). Ginny then took in his appearance and really didn't like what she saw. He looked horrible (though he had looked that way since the finally battle) but this time his eyes really looked lost.

"What happened?" she asked lying on the bed next to him.

He sighed, taking in all her present (and all the comfort that brought him). "It's not working," he said in a small voice.

"What's not working?" she asked, though she knew what he was talking about.

"I've tried," he said, his voice starting to shake now. "I've looked, but there's no sign of them…"

"Are you giving up?" she asked in an even voice.

"I'll never give up," he said, his voice now portraying a little anger. "How could you ask me that?"

"You seemed to need the remaindered," she shrugged, placing her head on his chest and he instantly wrapped his arms around her waste. "What happened?" she asked again.

"It's just so hard Gin, I can't breathe," he whispered.

"I know," she said softly burying her head in his chest.

"And I don't know what to do anymore," Harry said. "We've been over everything and nothing's come of it. No more clues… no evidence… we don't know anything."

"We'll think of something," she said.

He didn't say anything to that, he just froze into place and closed his eyes to all the pain that he was now feeling. His world was spinning out of control and all he really had was the girl sitting in his arms right now… she was the reason he could still get up and trying an fight this.

"I heard that Kingsley offered you a job as a Auror," she said, she was at a lost at what to say and she had a feeling this was a conversation they needed to have. She would not let him wallow in his guilt and despair if she could help it.

"Yeah," he said but didn't add anything too it.

"So when do you start?" she asked, pushing him to open up.

"Ginny," he said in a pleading voice, he really didn't want to talk about this now.

"Yes," she said moving her head so now she could look into his eyes, a look telling him that she wasn't going to drop this anytime soon.

"Argh," he let out a groan and a sigh at the same time. "I'm not taking the job…"

"But that's what you wanted," she said, she wasn't surprised by the answer but she was stealing herself for the argument that she knew was coming now.

"I did," he said in a dead voice, but he too can see where this conversation was heading. "But I've had enough of dark wizards for a lifetime…"

"I can see that," she sighed; of course Harry wouldn't want to deal with that anymore, who wanted to deal with that after all. But still, it wasn't like him to just give up on what he used to want so badly. "And what if this happens again…" she asked softly, not looking at him this time.

"Then I'll fight again," he answered simply, though he sounded extremely tried just saying those words.

"Naturally," she sighed though she took pride that he would say it so easily. It made her know that he hadn't really given up he's dream yet. "You could help prevent it though…"

"Gin," he groaned, sounding agitated now. "I need a break… I can't do it now…"

"And what are you going to do?" she asked getting agitated herself… it was always like that for her… she couldn't help lashing out when she was being yelled at.

"I don't know," he said, caught off guard by that question. "Look for R… them I guess."

"Wouldn't your search be easier if you were an Auror," she said raising an eyebrow. "You know, with the full force of the department backing you up."

"I don't think I'll get to decided what I'll be working on," he tried to argue- as if she would believe that was another reason he would turn them down.

"You're Harry Bloody Potter!" she shouted. "I'm sure they will let you do what you need to… and if I'm not mistaking that was one of the things that Kingsley said you could do."

"How much did you hear about my conversation with Kingsley?" he asked raising an eye suspiciously at her- trying to divert the conversation again.

"Enough to know that you're not telling me the real reason why you don't want to be an Auror," she said, not letting him divert her.

"I don't want to be a poster boy," he said gloomy. "And before you say anything, I know it's not the same as with Scrimgeour, and that this is a Ministry that I can stand behind… but it just feels like I'm being used…"

"You know that's not how he meant it love," she said soothingly and his face did seem to relax a little at that. "And I know you might not want to hear it… but it really would make people feel a lot safer knowing you're out there… at least I would…"

"Gin," he said starting to blush a little.

"That's not all of it… is it?" she asked.

"No," he said hesitating. "I just can't do it… wake up every morning to go to work… I can't do that right now. And it's just going to get harder once you're gone."

"Gone… where I'm I going?" she said, though she knew what he meant… she guess it was as good as anytime to tell him this.

"Ginny, your leaving to go to Hogwarts in two weeks," he said looking incredulously at her.

"I'm not going back," she said firmly.

"Yes you are," he said just as firmly and for the first time since the battle really emotion seemed to be in his eyes.

"No I'm not, and there is nothing you can say to change my mind," she said sitting up and crossing her arms in front of her chest, jaw set, just waiting for the fight.

"Think of your mother… you have to finish school," he argued.

"Half my brother didn't finished school, she'll get over it," she said flatly, he would have to do better than that if he wanted to convince her.

"I don't think she could take this from you right now," he countered. "Not with everything else she's dealing with."

"I know," she sighed- okay so that was a better argument but she wasn't going to back down so easily. "But I can't leave now Harry… and she'll be happy to have be close by…"

"But your future…" he tried another approach.

"Harry, I can't stand to think about what will happen to you once I leave," she said- it would take hours for him to stumble onto the real reason why she had made this decision and she didn't want to wait that long. She wanted this fight to be over with so he would hold her in his arms again and all her pain and fears would- not go away- but loosen a little.

"You're not doing this for me," he said more angry than she thought he would be- not because she didn't know that he would react this way but because she didn't think he had it in him at the moment to react this strongly. This wasn't good, he could be almost as stubborn as she was when he wanted to be and he seem to want to be now. "I won't let you throw away your future for me…"

"Let me!" she said anger filling her words- that was the worst thing he could have said.

"It would kill me if you do this," his words where still filled with anger and he made no apologies for saying 'let me' but still she melted at what he said. How could she stay anger at him when he said something like that?

"And it kills me thinking about what state I'll find you in when I get home," she said her voice soft and hallow.

"I'll be fine," he said but there was no conviction behind his words.

"Like you're fine now," she said heating up once again- she didn't like his empty promise. "Harry, you don't know what it's been like this last few months. You just keep getting worst… falling farther away from me, and I can't stand it. I know you feel better when I'm around… how can I leave you like this?"

"I'll try harder Gin," he said voice still hallow. "Just don't throw away your future."

"There is no future for me if you're not there," she said stubbornly.

"Then I'll promise I'll be there," he said looking into her eyes for the first time and she was struck by how determine they suddenly looked.

"Really," she said hopefully- she never expect him to say this… truth be told she expected him to give in.

"I promise," he said.

"That means no wallowing," she said pointedly. "You can't mope around here while I'm gone…"

"I know," he sighed. "I guess I'll have to take that job now…"

"You will," she said brightening up a little.

"I'll have to, wont I," he groaned. "If I'm left by myself all the time I'm just going to brood."

"That's my Harry," she chuckled and then the full impact of what she was agreeing to hit her and she nearly collapse, and she would have if he didn't catch her and pulled her close to his chest.

"What is it?" he asked, his voice full of the deepest fear.

"I'm going to be leaving you," she sobbed, tears actually coming to her eyes- she wasn't one to cry but when she did it wasn't never good.

"Ssshh… it's okay," he said pulling her closer to him- he still wasn't that good at comforting crying girls but he tried his best.

"I didn't think I would be," she went on. "It's hard to think of you not being there…"

"I know," he said- he's been thinking of this moment for weeks now and it was still hard to imagine. "But it's what's best."

She didn't say anything as she continued to sob in his chest not wanting him to ever let her go. However, what he just agreed to- and he was going to follow his promise or she was going to kill him herself- was the best thing she heard in a long time. Even as she was making her decision- a few weeks ago when she got her Hogwarts letter- she had no guaranty that he was going to be okay even if she did stay. He had been slipping away more and more from her everyday and she couldn't stand that. But now, now she had hope- hope that one day they will be all right. That she would get her Harry back and they could be happy together- she just had to suffer through ten months of torture without him (except for the few times she would see him on holiday or on Hogsmeade visit).

**A/N: So this chapter is another filler, but I think the Harry part is important, and seeing as he won't be in the next two or so chapters, I thought he deserved it. And think, after this one, everything is going to start heating up. **


	5. Meeting Destiny

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters.**

**A/N: Just a warning, this chapter is mature, so if you don't like that, don't read the second half. **

**Update 11/29/2010**

Chapter Five

Meeting Destiny

It was now a little more than a year since Jean and Matt woke up that day not knowing who they were. They had both made the most of what they got and so far they were doing rather well. Jean, like you may have imagined, was top of her class in every class she took, and she highly enjoyed going to school. She spent most of her time between going to school and working as many hours as she could (and was managing it rather well). Every so often Josh would show up at her flat, drag her to a pub or some other form of entertainment, telling her that she needed to relax a little (if there was one thing that she wasn't good at, it was relaxing or more importantly knowing when to relax).

She still had dreams (and more often than not they were dreams and not those horrible nightmares) about the two boys and the red-haired man. It was still her closest link to who she was before and it still didn't help her in anyway remember anything. She found her lack of knowledge about herself (now more than ever since she was filling her head with other forms of knowledge) very disconcerting and she hated that there was nothing she could do about it.

Of course she still went to Dr. Smith and worked on it but it wasn't getting any better. However, about two months ago Dr. Smith told her about a group therapy session where others with memory problems (ranging from various degrees) would talk to each other about their experiences. Jean jumped at the change to go to these meeting, finding it both fascinating to learn more about this and hoping that it would help her (which so far it hasn't but she's still hopeful and way to enthralled with hearing about the other cases).

Matt was doing well too, which really surprised him at first. He went down to the nearest police station to try and see what he would need to do to become a detective like he wanted. It seemed that there was no specific thing that he had to do, other than pass a detective test (plus the basic training that any police offers had to do). However, when he asked around he discovered there were plenty of classes that he could take that would make him ready for that. So with a list of the best classes - a very friendly blond hair blue eyed girl gave him (that he didn't even notice was flirting with him) - he signed up for school (luckily getting all of his classes).

He worked hard in all his them, finding that studying for his criminology classes were not easy but surprisingly interesting (making him know that he chose the right field to work in). His other classes (the ones that he girl suggested he took too because they might help round him out) were more difficult for him to understand and get the motivation to work at them, but he managed by telling himself that he needed to get these done if he wanted to succeed (which the voice was usually a nagging voice of some girl he never met but knew he should listen to). He was never the brightest student in the class but he usually was the hardest worker and often got very good grades making him one of the top students.

As soon as school started it was obvious that he wouldn't be able to keep one of his jobs and he decided to give up his first, seeing as being physically tired while trying to study wouldn't be beneficial to him. He was, however, able to get another job on campus at one of the food serves places (which gave him a free meal whenever he was working and discount on any place in the University). With the money that he saved on food alone he was able to find another house to live at (he wasn't able to study properly at the boarding house with all the noise and people that were there) with another guy. It wasn't that big, two bedrooms, one bathroom, a very some kitchen and a living/dinning room but it was really nice not to have to share a room anymore.

He was often haunted by nightmares, the one that occurred most often was where he was all alone in a forest looking for something, something that was very important to him but he couldn't find it. He thought that this had something to do with the fact that he hasn't really met anyone in the last year that he was close to. Sure he had plenty of budies that he would go to the pub with or other things (he had an easy going personality that people seemed to like), but he never got close enough to any of them to tell them about his memory problem. In fact the person he was probably closest to was Dr. Smith, but he didn't really want to count that seeing as she was, not paid per-se, but definitely benefited by their sessions. She had asked him to join the group therapy too, but he said that he was fine talking to her about this stuff, but there was no way he was going to talk in a room full of people like that and he didn't care to hear about other people struggles. He had one other recurring dream; no it was more like an image. It was the back of a girl that he knew would be beautiful but he's never seen her face, all he really knew about her was that she had bushy brown hair.

O

It had been a very exhausting week, and Jean really needed a breather. It was about two weeks before finals and she was working her hardest going over all her notes (not that she really needed too seeing as she had a photographical memory but it couldn't hurt). As she passed one of the coffee shops on her way home she decided to stop in… it's been a long time since she enjoyed a good coffee after all. However, she quickly realized that the place was pact and that she wouldn't be able to enjoy her coffee as she hoped she could. She decided to stand in the line anyway and maybe by the time she got her coffee there would be a seat for her. She was however disappointed again, but before she could leave she saw an open chair at a table with a red haired man sitting there.

She didn't know what made her do it; she normally would have just left and drank her coffee on the go, but today she wanted to sit down for a few minutes and enjoys this. Not to mention she was drawn to the red haired man, mostly (she convinced herself) because of the dreams she had.

"Are you using this chair?" Jean asked.

"No, you can take it," the man said not looking up from the book he was reading.

"Oh… er… I meant could I join you at this table… there's nowhere else to sit," Jean continued, wishing he would look up at her (she wanted to see what color eyes he had).

"Hmm… I'm sorry but I don't really have time for that right now," the man said a little annoyed.

"I promise I won't say anything, you won't know I'm here," Jean said sadly, already starting to move away.

"Fine, sit down," he groaned, keeping his eyes firmly in his book.

Matt wouldn't usually be this rude, but he had to finish this portion in his book because he had agreed to go to some party with his roommate Greg and knew that if he didn't finish now he would be in serious trouble. He continued to read for the next thirty minutes in silence (that is to say he didn't talk to the girl once but the coffee shop was pretty loud), until he finished.

"Are you finished?" Jean said when he closed his book, she had taken out her own book (a novel for once; she was going with her relaxing theory) but she kept giving him glances. He was very handsome with his red hair and strong and tall looking body (though she still didn't know what color his eyes were), and his voice… it had made her stomach squirm.

"I thought you said you wouldn't talk," Matt said smirking and looking up for the first time. When he saw her his breath caught in throat… he hasn't seen anyone as beautiful as this girl before him. Her hair was wavy (not the bushy mess that he dreamed about but it felt familiar all the same) and the most interesting and amazing brown eyes he's very saw (again more familiar than they should be).

"Well if you're going to be like that, maybe I should just leave," Jean said looking annoyed but she could tell that he wasn't trying to be rude this time. Besides, now that she could see his eyes were blue like the ocean she didn't want to leave him anytime soon.

"No," he said a little too enthusiastic. "Er… I mean I don't want you to leave yet."

"Thanks," she smiled at him. "So what were you so absorbed with before?"

"Text for my criminology class," he said holding up his book. "I wanted to finished it quickly."

"Do you have somewhere to be?" she asked blushing a little.

"I did," he answered. "I was planning on going to a party… do you want to come with me?"

"I'm not really one for parties," she sighed.

"Oh," he sighed.

"Do you have to go?" she asked biting her bottom lip.

"No… I supposed I don't," he smiled. "I think I'd rather be here with you… er…"

"Jean, Jean Green," she said smiling at him.

He couldn't help the snort that came out, "That's a nice name."

"Shut up… I like my name," she said glaring at him.

"Sorry," he said still chuckling and thinking that she was even sexier when she was looking at him like that. "My name is Mathew Williams, but you can call me Matt."

"So Matt, do you come her often?" she asked and that's all it took for the two of them to start talking. It was natural for the both of them, like they've know each other for years. They talked about their lives, or at least their lives that they have been living the last year (the ones they remembered). When that was exhausted they talked about other things, small things that didn't really matter but it was just so easy for them to talk with the other that it didn't really matter. They continued to talk until the coffee shop was closed, and not wanting to leave the other they decided to take a walk.

It was so weird; Matt thought as he walked next to this girl, he felt more complete just being near her. He was obviously attracted to her, there was no doubt about that, he loved her smile (thought it was even better when she smirked showing a little playfulness) and it made his inside squirm in wonderful ways. But it was more than simple attraction, it was a sense of peace that he had that made him so happy; like for the first time since he woke up in that awful street he was home.

He debated telling her about his memory lost; he so desperately wanted to but he was afraid that it would scare her off (he only told one person about his condition after all and he's never seen her again) or worse that she would pity him. He decided that he would wait; after all he didn't have to tell her everything today… he could tell her tomorrow or the next day. That thought really made him smiled.

"What's so funny?" she asked when he smiled like that (it really was a beautiful smile that light up his whole face), but she was telling him about one of her boring classes at the moment and didn't think there was anything funny about it.

"Oh," he said not sure if he should tell her what he was thinking so he bid his time by looking around. He soon realized that he was in front of his house. "Wow, it's look like I'm home."

"This is your house?" she asked looking at the small but charming front yard. She then turned back to him with an evil looking smirk and said, "Were you trying to lead me back here Mr. Williams?"

"Honesty, I had no idea where I was heading," he laughed. "I actually thought I was following you."

"Hmm… I wasn't thinking about that either," she said stepping closer to him. "It's getting kind of late… I should be going home…" she said in a soft voice.

"I'll go with you… I don't want you walking home alone," he said moving closer to her as well, so close in fact he was mere inches away from her.

"But you're already home…" she said her voice catching when he put his hand on waist.

"I could call you a cab…" he whispered his eyes looking into hers.

"Shut up and kiss me…" she said forcefully and he immediately captured her lips. It was a soft kiss, nothing more than a few seconds of lingering on her lips but it cause both of them to catch on fire.

He was barely able to pull away before her hands move to the back of his neck and pulled him down for another kiss, a kiss that was so fierce and passionate that it nearly knock the two of them off their feet. She opened her mouth as soon as her lips met his again and he didn't waste a second to assault her with his tongue. And it was then that she was hit my something so much stronger than she ever imagined possible. She needed him! It felt like she's been waiting forever to have him touch her like this… have his lips on hers, and his hands around her waist and in her hair. A small part of her brain, the logical part that was screaming for her to think this through, told her that this was going to fast and she just met him. But the magnetic force that seemed to have drawn her to him in the coffee shop, the feeling that she was truly herself when she was with him, was now in control and it so desperately wanted him… needed him.

He pulled back again, this time gasping for air before he re-captured her mouth, not wanting to give up the sensation she was instilling in him. It was intoxicating kissing her like this, and he knew that he would do anything to keep this up. His body ached for him to get inside so that he could ravish her already, but his mind screamed at him to do this right… he didn't want to ruin this. However, his body was winning right now (its needs seemed to be unstoppable and it seemed like he's been longing for this for years), as he placed a hand on her bum and gently pushed. Her responds was as immediate as it was unexpected (well to his mind at least; which just caused it to go farther into the background). She jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist tightly as she continued to kiss him as fiercely as she could, causing them to both moan.

"Get us inside," she hissed into his ear only breaking away from his mouth long enough to say the words before attaching them back on his mouth.

It wasn't an easy task walking with a girl in your arms as she madly kisses you, but somehow he managed to get to the door. Regretfully he had to put her down when he got there (he was unable to get his key out to unlock the door) but as soon as they were through the threshold, he picked her up again and slammed her against the front door.

"Mmm…" she moaned throwing her head back as his hardness hit her center for the first time. Then he lips were on her neck lightly sucking and nipping at her pulse-point, causing her hands to come to his head (running her fingers through his hair like she wanted to since she first met him).

He groaned into her neck as she pushed herself on him, it was all so overwhelming have her like this, but he was still wanting for the eyes to appear, the eyes that had always made him pull away before. For you see, Jean wasn't the first girl that had come on to him; he had found himself in similar situations with a few girls in the past (and he had a lot more admirers that wanted him that he didn't even know of). However, whenever he would start to snog them like this (usually after having vast quantities of beer or whiskey) he would see a pair of eyes. Well the eyes were attached to a face but he could never work out what it looked like, but anyway, he would see these eyes and they would look so sad and hurt that he couldn't go on (he never wanted to see pain in those eyes, that's why he hadn't been going out for the last few months).

But they didn't come, he didn't feel guilty or bad or any of the other feeling he always felt when he had snogged those other girls. He smirked in her neck not really understanding the true meaning behind this but knowing it was something good. Still grinning he started to move down her neck; her moans seem to come even louder as he moved and her hand pushing him closer to her. When he reached her collarbone however, he started to get annoyed at the thick layer of clothing that was hiding her from him.

She groaned when he pulled away but when she felt the tug on her sweatshirt she quickly raised her hands to help him get it off her, which he did, not meaning to but thankful when her shirt came with it. He stayed back, just looking at her in her simple white bra that seemed to go with her innocent he intrinsically knew she had though by no means was she acting innocent at the moment. She was gorgeous with her flat stomach and her modest size breast (they weren't huge but by no means small). His eyes traveled up to her face… she had the cutest expression, she seemed so nervous all of a sudden; like she thought he would reject the most beautiful creature he'd ever seen.

"I know…" she started to said still blushing and not looking into his eyes.

"You're beautiful," he whispered before kissing her hard again.

She moaned in his mouth, all nervousness gone again as one of her hands went back to the nape of his neck and the other traveled to the end of his shirt and then quickly up it to rest on his chest. Her simple touches were like fire on his now oversensitive skin and he wanted so much more. He pulled away for the second it took him to rip his own shirt off; he needed his skin to touch hers.

She threw her head back again since his movements had caused him to push himself into her harder. He took that as his opening as he keep one had firmly on her backside (keeping her in place) and his other hand up her waist as he rested it at her shoulder he took one last look at her eyes rolling back in ecstasy he move his head down and capture her right nipple in his mouth (through her bra) and started to suck and nip at it.

"Yes…" she said in as husky voice feeling a shot of pleasure fill her body. Her hand in his hair pulling him closer to her breast as he continued to suck on it she started to buck her hips against him causing them both the groan at the contact. It was all too much for her, she's never felt this way before… so completely unhinged but at the same time so complete. It was more than she ever experienced before but it wasn't enough. She needed him… all of him and she need it now. The rational side of her mind was completely gone now, which in itself was strange. She had been asked out plenty of times in the passed but she never felt inclined to except, none of them made her feel anything (and definitely nothing like this). However, the main reason she didn't even want to go out was because of her red-haired dream man. She thought he was someone in her past, someone that she was either involved with or at the very least wanted to be involved with. So she never thought of herself as being free… but right now, she couldn't think of that dream man at all. Right now all she could think about was the fact that she was being slammed against a door with a man sucking on her nipple and how bloody brilliant that felt.

"Bedroom…" she panted out as he released her right breast and seemed to be moving to the other one.

He pulled back and grinned wickedly at her and a second later the door seemed to disappear and they were heading for a different part of the house. He got to his room with no problems (kicked shut his door) and practically threw her on the bed. Before he could come down to meet her however, she got up on her knees and pulled his face to hers. He didn't hesitate to put his hands in her now messy wavy hair that had fascinated him when he first met her. She on the other hand for once didn't move to put her hands in his; no she had one thing on her mind and one thing only. Her hands moved immediately to his hips and then to the button of his jeans. In mere seconds it seems, they were un-button and un-zipped and she was slowly pushing them down.

He pushed her hands away then, stood up and took them off (leaving his orange boxers on; which for some reason he was always partial to) as fast as he could not liking being away from her. At the same time she had started to take her own jeans, only managing to get the zipper undone before his hands were on top of hers.

"Let me," he hissed into her ear before kissing his way down her neck- her collarbone- the valley between her breast, his hands moving up her back to take the offending material that was still covering her chest for him. It took him awhile (stupid bloody bra) and she didn't even offer to help him though he could feel her withheld chuckle at his struggle, but eventually he got it off.

"Mmmm…" he moaned at the sight of her harden brown nipples contrasting with her fairly tan skin. Once again he fell prey to the need to stick them in his mouth as he lower his head to her left breast (not wanting it to feel left out) and licked it.

The moan that escaped her throat this time was so primal that it caused him to shutter against her. He stuck the already hard nipple in his mouth causing her to arch her back into him.

"Mmm… more…" she moaned as he continued to suck.

After a few minutes he decided that he spent enough time there (for now) and gave her nipple on last kiss before moving farther down her body, still leaving trails of kiss wherever he pass. As he got to her waistline he groaned at the mere hint of her blue knickers as he pulled down her pants slowly. It was then that he looked up at her, having to make sure that she was okay with this (knowing that it would be impossible to stop now but he would for her). But before he could ask, her hands reached for his waist, her eyes cloudy and dark with lust, and put her hands on his boxers.

"I've been dying to see for the last fifteen minutes if you're as big as you feel," she said slyly but her blush made her look completely adorable. His heart pounded extremely painful against his chest as she pulled down his boxers freeing him from the painful restrictions it was in. He watched her eyes grow big as she looked at him, all of him for the first time. She bit her lip in the endearing way and then looked in his eyes alluringly and said, "I guess you are."

She only held his eyes for a second before she looked down again… she couldn't help it, it was so complying looking at him. She wanted to touch it, to see if it was as hard as it felt when it was rubbing against her, or if it was as smooth as it looked. So, before she could talk herself out of it, she reached her hand to touch his cock.

"Aaaahh…" he hissed has she touched him. His face looked pain almost, but she could hear it in his breathing and see it in his eyes that that was the good kind of pain… the kind of pain that he's been putting her through moments before.

"Do you like that?" she asked smirking, surprised at her brazenness, but somehow, even in this where she felt completely inadequate, she was comfortable with him. She didn't wait for him to answer before she rubbed him again, this time she didn't let he's groans of pleasure distract her from feeling that he was both hard and smooth and altogether enthralling to touch.

"God… fuck… so good," he hissed as she kept rubbing him lightly and softy. How could it be this good to feel her barely touch him? Shit this was better than any of his wanks and she hasn't even wrapped her fist around him pumping him with her small but warm and inviting hands... "Harder…"

"Hmm…" she said remove her hand altogether and then moving up to his ears sucking it. "I think I'd rather you be inside me…" she hissed.

"Argh…" he groaned as he pushed her back into the bed (all thoughts of making sure she wanted this out of his mind; though she did seem to make herself quite clear). He moved his hand to her knickers more confidently now pulling them down and off, throwing them into the some unknown corner of the room.

He looked into her eyes as he moved his hand to her core… he wanted to see her every reaction to him. He never felt more grateful that Greg, his roommate and all around playboy had told him about his many conquest (though at the time he hated hearing it not only because the guy could be crass but because Greg made it seem that he was better than Matt and that he was laughing at him). But right now, he was very grateful that he knew want to do with a woman once you get her in this position. He slowly slid his hands between her curls and the silky slit that was her womanhood.

"You seem to be very wet for me," he said smugly.

"Yeeess…" she moaned at his contact that was nowhere near enough.

Still looking into her eyes he slowly explored her looking for and quickly finder her mound of nerves. She bucked her hips into his hand forceful when he had hit the spot and groaned his name so sexily that he nearly came undone right then. Instead he moved his hands to her core and pushed one of his fingers into her, noticing how tight and warm she was.

"Matt… ooooohhh…" she moaned and wiggled as he started to pump his hand into her.

"You like that do you?" he teased her as she had moments ago.

She didn't have a reply to that other then making unintelligible moans that seem to get louder the longer he was at it. Watching her wither in front of him was the most euphoric experience he's ever had, knowing that he was causing her to come undone like this (and he just knew that she wasn't one to allow herself to be like this most of the time). He started rubbing her clit with his thumb, her screams become unbelievably loud after that, and added another figure.

"More… aaaaahhhh… faster…" she was finally able to hiss.

But he didn't give her want she wanted (or at less what she was begging for at the moment); no he stopped completed. She groaned at the lost of him touching her and looked into his eyes confused and with an unquenchable longing. But the confused went away as soon as she realized that he was positioning himself over her.

She bit her lip… she had to tell him now; this was going to hurt. "Matt wait…"

"What?" he said pausing, holding himself up on his elbows. He could see the hesitation in her eyes and he didn't like that.

"I've never done this before," she said softly and shyly again blushing like mad.

"You… you haven't," he said in a mixture of pride and trepidation. "Maybe we should…"

"Could you honesty stop now?" she asked incredulously (she know she couldn't have stopped; she was committed to do this since the first kiss).

"I don't want to hurt you…" he sighed. "Maybe we should wait…"

"It's going to hurt even if we do wait," she said more reasonably then she thought she could be in this moment.

"I didn't mean that way," he said and his body seems to be groaning at him as his mind struggled to do the right thing.

"I'm ready," she said smiling shyly at him. "I want you to be my first…"

_My only_ they both thought but neither one was brave enough at that moment to say it.

"Well when you put it like that it's hard to argue with you," he smiled before capturing her lips again for a long snog.

"Contraception," she moaned as he pulled away.

"Hmm…" he sighed confused and then blushed. "Right, _Consto Semen-Inis_," he muttered before giving her another quick kiss.

After he pulled away and regain his breathe as he looked into her eyes, letting her know that it was coming and he positioned his cock to her entrance. He pushed inside of her, letting out the most primal of groans as she completely covered him. It was bliss like he had never known before being wrapped in her warm tightness, but he couldn't let himself think of that now. He looked down at her, she had whimpered in pain as he pushed through her barriers quickly but as gentle as he could (Greg had told him it was best to make it quick but stay put after so as to allow her to adjust to him).

Her eyes were closed and one tear seemed to have escaped as mostly pain surged through her core. Her grip on him tightened, as he held steady, wanting for her to be ready. He lead down and kissed her check, the one with the tear on it and then kissed her nose and then moved down to her mouth. Once he captured her mouth and the sense of pleasure filled her, the pain seemed to loosen a little and she moaned. "Move…" she whispered as he released her mouth. "Slowly…"

The pain that was so prominent at first quickly subsided as he slowly moved in and out of her. Soon enough she was starting to move her hips to meet his as waves of pleasure started to fill her every being.

"Faster… harder…" she moaned as she felt the pressure burning in her stomach.

He happily started going at her harder and faster than before, it was incredibly hard to go at that agonizingly slow pace they were before. All the same he knew that he was close to his climax and she wasn't anywhere near. Knowing that he didn't what his first time (at least it was Matt's first time, he didn't know if whoever he was before was ever with a woman before) to end with her unsatisfied he reached down to where their bodies met and started rubbing her clit.

"God… yess… harder…" she screamed as soon as he touched it, starting to move her hips harder to met his.

"Fuck…" he hissed he wasn't going last much longer like this. He reached his other hand to her breast and squeezed her left nipple between his fingers roughly.

"Mathew…" she screamed his name as loudly as she could. "I'm coming…"

And she did cum; hard, harder than she had ever came before, as waves of pure pleasure washed over her. He cum with her (calling her name just as loudly as she did his), bursting his hot seed inside of her; making her shiver in pleasure even more.

He looked into her eyes as he rode his orgasm to completion, and then rolled over onto his back and pulling her to his chest.

"That was bloody brilliant!" he said with the biggest grin.

"It was incredible," she agreed laughing; somehow she knew that's what he was going to say and it made her inside start to squirm again. "You were quite skilled."

"Thanks," his grin boarded at that and became almost cocky. "I aim to please."

"Well I'm quite please," she said leaning up to kiss him softly. "I wasn't expecting to be this pleased my first time…"

"Imagine how it will be the second time then," he said waggling his eyebrows.

"Hmmm… I think I will," she said moving back down to his chest and stifling a yawn. "In a hour or so when I've regain my strength…"

He kissed the top of her head as she buried her head deeper in his chest. "Sleep love, there's plenty of time," he whispered and she closed her eyes sighing blissfully.

**A/N: So that was my first attempt at a love scene, I hope it was okay. And I would also like to say that I've always been under the impression that Ron and Hermione's relationship would progress quickly after all the time that they have been waiting for it to happen and the trust and love they had gain over the years. Therefor, I believe that if they did lose their memories they would somehow know each other and that connection would be more powerful than anything else. And if you think this is happening a little to fast... don't worry there are a few obstacles ahead for the two. **


	6. Ten Months of Torture

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters.**

**A/N: Okay so I was originally planning different chapter to go before this one, but I think that it might move better if that chapter is connected to the other. This chapter is completely Harry's, however after this I don't know when he's going to make an appearance again. **

**Update 11/29/2010**

Chapter Six

Ten Months of Torture

Harry, not wanting to miss any of the precious few weeks that he had left with Ginny, didn't start his job as an Auror until she went to Hogwarts. That September 1 really was the hardest day that he had ever had to live through yet. The goodbye itself was normal, tearful, passionate snogging kind of goodbye that any couple that would be parting would do. No, it wasn't until he had gotten back to the Burrow (Molly had refused to allow him to move out on his own), that the full impact of her absents had hit him. His one piece of sanity had just left him... and he couldn't even let that effect him because he promised her that he wouldn't (and he was more than a little afraid of how she would react if he didn't keep his word).

And then the first week at the Auror department was tendentious. He had to learn all the rules and procedures before he was able to go out into the field (which normal would have taken years but he got to skip it because there was such a need for Aurors after the war). He was pleased though when he found out that Neville was going to be his partner (though he couldn't help but think of Ron and how he always assumed that they would always be working together).

"I didn't think that this was something you wanted to do," Harry said after Neville got settle into his chair, they were going to be sharing an office.

"I don't really," Neville said. "I'm not planning on making this my career, but I figure I had to do something to help out... especially with what happened to... er..."

"Ron and Hermione," Harry said forcing himself to say his best friends names. He tried his hardest not to say them, but he knew that wasn't healthy, and if he was ever going to remember them without feeling an aching pain in his chest he was going to have to be at least able to say their names.

"Yeah," Neville frowned.

"Well, I'm glad you're here," Harry smiled, and he really meant that. "It's good to have someone that will be working just as hard as I am to find them and you might be able to help keep me sane. Besides, I know you got my back and that's always a good thing in a partner."

"I guess," Neville smiled, and so the two of them threw themselves into the search of finding Ron an Hermione, but the work was slow and brutal, it only took a month for Harry to realize that this was going to be a long grueling case. It was made even slower by the fact that they had to spend at least one day a week doing normal Auror stuff, there just weren't enough Aurors to allow them to get away from duties like this.

It wasn't until a month before Christmas that Harry took the first steps to a real break through in the case. He was talking with Arthur and Molly (who forced him to call them my name now) at dinner with George and Percy there too (though Harry was the only one that was still living at the Burrow now). Arthur was talking about one of the Muggle devices that he had to confiscated when Harry's eyes got really wide and he gasped.

"What is it, Harry dear?" Molly said, looking nervously round the room.

"H... the Grangers," Harry said. He was quite use to saying his friends names now but he notice that the Weasley flinched when they were mentioned so he tries not to when he was at home. "I totally forgot about them."

"Oh dear," Molly said, looking paler than he's seen her in a while.

"She sent them to Australia didn't she?" Arthur asked wrapping his arms around his wife.

"Yeah," Harry said.

"Well they shouldn't be too hard to find," Percy said a little smugly. "I'll put someone on it... we should find them in a few days."

"It might not be difficult... but should we?" Harry mused as he remembered what Hermione had said. She had sent her parents away because they were in danger here and that surely wasn't a problem anymore, but she also made it so they wouldn't remember her. "She didn't want them to worry if she died... being missing has to be just as bad right?"

"What do you mean?" Molly said looking at Harry shrewdly.

"Er..." Harry said.

"They'll want to know," Molly said.

"But..." Harry tried to argue.

"Hermione," Molly said frowning as she forced herself to say her name. "Was a brilliant girl, but she's not a mother. She doesn't know a mother's pain... I couldn't imagine how horrible it would be to have my children erased from my memory." She sighed, looking down at her hand as tears reached her eyes. "I would never want to forget them," she added in a whisper.

"She's right Harry," George said, his eyes vacant but at the same time meaningful.

So it was three days later that Harry and Neville found themselves in Sydney, Australia. Harry knew that he had to face the Grangers alone but the Ministry wouldn't let him go by himself so Neville quickly volunteered. It wasn't hard to fine Wendell and Monica Wilkins and get them alone at their house. Harry and Neville was able to cast the reversal charm on them with no problems. Neville excused himself from the room during the two minutes it took the Grangers regain their memories.

"What's going on here?" Mr. Granger said still looking groggy but his eyes were now focused on Harry.

"Oh," Mrs. Granger said looking at Harry too. "Harry? What's going on... where's Hermione?"

Harry snapped his mouth shout and tried not to go to pieces as guilt and sorrow went through him; he was expecting this responds after all. "Please sit down."

"No!" Mrs. Granger gasped tears coming to her eyes, his face didn't mean anything good.

"Where's my daughter?" Mr. Granger demanded, seeming to brace himself for the worst as he held his wife close to him.

"I don't know," Harry said, his voice cracked.

"You don't know," they both said in at the same time. They looked relieved, they feared far worse, but they could tell by his look that it was bad enough.

"No... she was taken," Harry said, his voice hollow.

"Taken," they both said together again, this time paling at his words.

"I'm sorry... it was after the war ended... er do you know about the war?" Harry said realizing that he didn't know how much Hermione had told her parents, though he knew it was more than what was good for them.

"Yes... Hermione mentioned it," Mrs. Granger said then started to shiver.

"Well, we won," Harry said hollowly. "There's no more danger. But they took Ron and Hermione..."

"They took Ron too," Mrs. Granger gasped, she knew how important the boys were to her daughter and knew it was bad that they were both gone. She felt sorry of the boy before her, even thought the grief was consuming her completely, she could still see how hard it was for him to have lost both of his closest friends (her daughter had told her about his whole sad history and she knew that he needs them).

"Yes," Harry said still trying to hold in his emotions, it was a lot hard than he thought telling them this, somehow it made it a lot more real.

"And you don't know anything..." Mr. Granger said.

"Nothing that has lead us anywhere," Harry said glumly, the least he could have done was have something to tell them after six months, but he had nothing. "We've been searching... but we haven't found any signs of them..."

"But it's still early... right... you can find something," Mrs. Granger said hopefully.

"It's been a while..." Harry said darkly.

"How long?" Mr. Granger said suddenly frowning.

"Er... more than six months," Harry said looking sheepish.

"Six months... and you're just getting around to us now!" Mr. Granger said sharply.

"Er... I kind of didn't think of it," Harry hung his head.

"Duncan, lay off the boy," Mrs. Granger said (she really didn't like how sad Harry seemed to be). "He was probably putting all his efforts into find Hermione..." she broke down again. It was all so confusing... just getting her memory back and then having to deal with all this too.

"Right... sorry," Mr. Granger sighed sitting back on the couch looking utterly devastated. He took a deep breath and looked Harry in the eyes and said, "I want you to tell us everything... everything you know about this."

So Harry explained everything that he learn over the last few months, it didn't take too long, and the Granger seem to become grimmer the longer he talked (the longer she was gone, the harder it would be to find her).

"-the only bit of good news I really have is that it's looking less likely that they are being held somewhere being tor... well, we starting to think that that's not happening," Harry said looking grim himself. "That about all. It was only a few days ago that I remembered about you... sorry about that," he sighed. "I wasn't sure if I should even come here..."

"What?" Mrs. Granger said, there were tears in her eyes as she cried for her lost daughter. "What does that mean?"

"I wasn't sure if it was right to give you your memories back without her here," Harry said softly. "And if you don't want to remember until..."

"You listen to me closely, Harry," Mrs. Granger said sharply looking a lot like Hermione when she was about to tell him he's being an idiot for blaming himself too much or for him taking on too much. "We want to remember this... we want to remember every second we had with our little girl."

"But doesn't it hurt now..." Harry started to asked.

"We would rather know," Mr. Granger said simply as he help on tightly to his wife.

"Besides, not knowing her... that didn't help," Mrs. Granger said. "I've felt like I've been missing a big part of my life for the last year and a half and I didn't know why... I didn't like it."

"I sorry," Harry frowned.

"It's not your fault dear," Mrs. Granger sighed. "None of this is your fault Harry."

O

Harry stayed with them for a few more days as he help them get ready to move back to England, though they really like their home in Australia and they made some friends there, it wasn't their home. Neville stayed there too, and they had them all packed and ready to make their flight only three days after Harry told them. Harry decided that it would be the best if he went with them all the way so he went on the flight too, bringing Neville along, even though he looked almost terrified about getting on the plane.

"I really think it would be better if we floo home..." Neville said.

"Come on, I assure you it's safe," Harry chuckled.

"But how does it say in the air... they don't have any magic," Neville gulped. "If I just knew how..."

"Don't worry son, us Muggles have been flying for years and there's only been a handful of crashes..."

"You mean the planes crash!" Neville said getting even more nervous.

"Duncan!" Mrs. Granger slapped her husband who was chuckled softly. "Don't make him more scared than he already is."

"Sorry I couldn't resist," Duncan smiled. "Neville, trust me, there's nothing to be afraid of here."

"Besides, if we were going to crash, you and I could probably keep it floating long enough to save everyone," Harry smiled.

"Right," Neville relaxed after that. "Merlin, doing things the Muggle way is really hard."

"Yeah, especially for you pure... pure..." Harry said the smiled that was just on his face vanished as his mind started going over things.

"What is it Harry?" Neville asked looking warily at his friend.

"Come on boys, we need to get on the plane now," Mrs. Granger said from the gate.

"Right," Harry said and took Neville's hand. He didn't say a word as they moved to get their sits just thinking about what had just come to him, and they more he thought of it the more likely it seemed.

"Are you going to tell me what's bothering you?" Neville ask half an hour later and the plan started to move (he really could use a distraction right about now).

"I just had an idea about Ron and Hermione," Harry said and then looked around, they were in the middle section in first class (Harry insisted on paying and he thought it would be best to have comfortable seats for the long flight), sitting all four across. He didn't see anyone paying them attention, but still it wasn't something that he would want anyone to over hear, so he cast Muffiato on everyone except Neville and the Grangers.

"What about them?" Neville prompted after he saw Harry cast the charm.

"Well, you know how we've been thinking that they've been taken somewhere... that they where being held captive somewhere likely being tortured," Harry said quickly. "It just occurred to me that there's something else that the Death Eaters would think was torture!"

"What are you talking about?" Mrs. Granger said and the other two looked just as confused as she was, but Harry's eyes just widen when he looked at the confuse looks on the Granger's faces.

"Think about it Nev, what's the worst thing that a Death Eater think could happen, besides being killed," Harry said looking at his friend now as the new idea plays in his head making him even more sure that he was right about this.

"I don't know... being captured I guess?" Neville said confused.

"No," Harry sighed. "That's bad of course but I think that they would hate this more."

"What?" the three other people asked anxiously.

"Living as a Muggle," Harry said.

"What..." Neville said and then his eyes looked like they were comprehending what he was saying.

"I don't get it," Mr. Granger said still confused.

"Death Eater hate Muggles and Muggle-borns more than anything else in the world," Harry said. "They think they're the scum of the earth and that we should be ruling over them or get rid of the all. They'd think that it's torture having to live that way, without magic or knowing anything about our world."

"You think Ron and Hermione are in the Muggle world somewhere," Mrs. Granger said hopefully, that was better than the dungeons she been having nightmares about.

"I don't know," Harry said looking excited for the first time in months. "But it makes sense why we haven't found any sign of them. If the Death Eaters took them and then dumped them somewhere in the Muggle world, there wouldn't be any traces for us to follow..."

"But wouldn't they have made some contact by now," Mr. Granger said. "I don't know about Ron, but I'm sure Hermione would have come up with something."

"Oh crap, Ron," Neville said. "He would be completely useless there."

"Yeah," Harry sighed. "And I doubt they would let the two be together..."

"That's even worst," Neville said.

"And Mr. Granger..." Harry said.

"Call me Duncan, Harry," Mr. Granger smiled.

"Okay... er... Duncan," Harry said feeling awkward but not nearly as much as he had the first time he had call Mr. and Mrs. Weasley by their first names. "I was just thinking about that and I think that there might be something else keeping them away from us."

"Like what?" Mrs. Granger asked.

"I'm not sure... but, maybe... maybe they had their memories erased too," Harry said. "That way they wouldn't know us, know that there are people looking for them."

"Oh," Mr. Granger said looking thoughtful.

"Yeah, I can see them doing that," Neville sighed.

"So you think that these Death Eaters took my daughter, cast some spell on her to erase her memory and then let her loss on the streets of some unknown place," Mr. Granger summed up.

"Yeah," Harry sighed, when put like that it didn't really sound that good.

"And in the scheme of things, that's what we're hoping happened," Mr. Granger sighed too. "I do hope that's what happened. It nice to think that Hermione could be out there living a nearly normal life."

"You think she would be?" Harry asked, he was really starting to have mix feelings about this now.

"Hermione is smart, strong and independent girl, if she was left in a situation like that I have no doubt that she would find a way to make a life for herself," Mr. Granger smiled.

"Yeah," Harry smiled (he really had a point there) and then his smile faded a little. "But Ron... I don't know what would happened to him... especially in the Muggle world. He wouldn't even have the common knowledge of how he's supposed to act."

"I know mate, but Ron is a survivor," Neville said. "I'm sure he'll figure something out."

They talked more about this during the flight, Neville in particular was trying to keep the conversation up (he found the more he talked about this the less he panic about the plane crashing). After the flight was over there was a Ministry's car out front waiting for them so that the Grangers could be driven to their old home. The Weasley all pitched in to help get the house back in order for the Grangers (the people who have been renting it had luckily moved out a few months ago, not that that would have matter seeing as someone would have just made them want to move if they were still there).

Arthur and Molly were still there when the car pulled up having decided that it would be good to be there for them during this time. They stayed and all of them had diner together, and it really was good for both set of parents to be near each other (no one else could really understand what they were going through but the other after all). After dinner was over everyone left, Harry promising that Grangers that he would be back soon; they wanted him to tell them more about their daughter for the last few years, and he was also looking forward (and fearful) about hearing about Hermione before she came to school.

O

It was a few days later that found Harry standing at Platform Nine and Three Quarters snogging his girlfriend happily. Molly let the couple have their happy reunion for a few minutes before she couldn't take it any longer and demanded that she get her hug from her only daughter.

"So, what's new with you?" Ginny asked her boyfriend when she got him alone later that day.

"You know I did nothing but pine away for you," Harry smiled obviously joking but his eyes were tight.

"You better not have," Ginny said grimly. "I would hate to have to curse you if that was the case."

"Don't worry Gin," Harry chuckled.

"I'm not," Ginny smiled; he was a lot better than she thought he would be. She was half expecting to find the moping depressing Harry that she had left behind but true to his word, Harry really was trying to keep himself together. True he still looked awful, and his eyes were permanently sad now, but there was some life in him.

"So what's the big thing that's kept you from writing me for the last two weeks?" Ginny asked.

"Well, like I said in my last letter, I had to go find the Grangers," Harry said.

"I can't believe we forgot them like that," Ginny frowned.

"I know," Harry sighed. "So that took most of the time and now I'm working on a new angle that will hopefully help me find Ron and Hermione."

"New angle," Ginny said noticing something different about this one... he seemed to think that he was right about this one. "What is it?"

"I think that they might have had their memories erased and were left in the Muggle world," Harry said taking a deep breath.

"Wow," Ginny said her eyes going wide. "That's... that's... I don't even know what to say that is. How did you think of this?"

"I don't know," Harry said. "Nev and I were just in the airport with the Grangers and it came to me."

"What's the matter Harry?" Ginny said noticing his odd expression.

"Everyone thinks this is a good thing," Harry sighed.

"Isn't it?" Ginny said. "I don't know about you, but I've been think that they're being tortured or maybe they were dead..." she cut off there closing her eyes tightly, she didn't like thinking that. Harry walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her just holding her for a moment. "Why are you worried about this Harry?" she asked wanting him to make her think of something else.

"Do you realized how much more difficult this make things?" Harry said. "First of all we don't even know that it's true... so we might be spending valuable time on some wild goose chase..."

"What?" Ginny chuckled. "What does a goose have anything to do with this?"

"It's a Muggle expression," Harry smiled in-spite of himself. "It means that all the work we've done would be fruitless."

"But you know it's not," Ginny said knowingly. "I can see you do."

"Yeah," Harry smiled and frowned at the same time (it really looked odd). "And that brings me to my second point. Ginny, when we thought that the Death Eater were holding, it might have been a horrible idea (and I'm really glad it's not true) but at least there were only so many places they could be. But now they could be anywhere. They could be down the street and we wouldn't know the difference."

"Well I'm pretty sure Ron's not down the street, though we don't go to town often they still know about the weird Weasley family that lives just outside of town," Ginny said trying to make him lighten up.

"Gin!" Harry said exasperated. "You know what I meant. And that's not even the worst part. The worst part is that even if we do find the Death Eaters responsible..."

"When you find them," Ginny corrected as her eyes filled with hatred.

"Right," Harry said, his eyes matching hers. "When we find the Death Eaters responsible they won't be able to tell us anything. The most they could tell us is where they left them, but that won't give us any clue as to where they are now... They could be anywhere in the world."

"Harry," Ginny sighed and rested her head on his shoulder; he did have good point with all of this.

"It really is the perfect form of torture for me," Harry said bitterly. "No way to..."

"Don't say that," Ginny said suddenly harsh. "Don't every say that. When you say that it's like you're giving up. You're letting them win."

"I can't help it," Harry said sighed. "I just feel so damn useless..."

"Don't love," Ginny sighed too. "We'll find them somehow... we have to."

"Yeah," Harry sighed and not much more talking happened the rest of the night.

O

Harry spent every second he could with Ginny when she was home from Hogwarts, he knew that once she was gone again he was going to feel the emptiness he been feeling the last few months and he was going to get as much of her as he could while she was still there. It seem that they last five and a half months were a hundred times harder for him to live through than the first four were. He ached to see her every second and all he could do to keep himself busy was throw himself farther into his work than he had ever done before. It was good that now he felt like he was accomplishing something there; at least he could now have something to show for himself. He also spent some time with the Grangers like he promised (he felt that he owed them so much for what he had cost them; which of course they thought he was being ridiculous about but they enjoyed his company a lot). As Harry laid in his bed, finally at the last day of his torture, he smiled to himself for making it through what he hoped would be the most difficult year of his life.


	7. Misunderstanding

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters.**

**Update 11/29/2010**

Chapter Seven

Misunderstanding

Matt groaned as he started to gain consciousness; he was having the most wonderful dream that he didn't want to wake up but it couldn't be helped it, the dream slip as his eyes began to open. He didn't have to be fully aware of his surrounding for him to know that it was a lot earlier than he normal woke up and he was about to turn over to get more comfortable (maybe he could get back to that dream he was having with a wavy hair goddess) when he noticed he wasn't alone. He looked down and his breath catch (just as it had when he first saw her) as a huge smile plastered on his face. It wasn't a dream! She was real and resting peacefully in his arms. He shifted slightly so he could get a better look at her face as she slept.

"Mmmm..." she hummed as she repositioned herself, clinging onto him, but not waking up.

He smiled as he looked down at her, feeling nothing but contentment. He didn't know how long he just laid there looking at her, it seem like both hours and minutes, and he never wanted to leave her.

As he held her he let his mind wander a little. He thought about spending time with her, talking to her, finding out more about her. They didn't really get into her past, he was too afraid to tell her that he didn't know who he was so he didn't push her for any details about herself. But it will be okay now, he smiled as he moved a strain of hair that had fallen in her face, she would understand him. She was kind and open-minded, perhaps a little bossy, but passionate (very passionate he smiled at the memory of the previous night) and completely loyal. She will be the smartest person he ever knows but have a certain innocents about her that is so endearing that it will make him smile every time he sees it. He smiled at everything that he had learned about her in just the few hours that he knew her and couldn't wait until he found out more.

Still, it was a little strange, he thought, he felt like he knew her better than he knew himself. Of course, he didn't really know himself, but it was still odd that he was able to pick up on so much about her, but he barely knew what he liked. He shrugged that thought off as he started getting up. He didn't want to leave her but he was starting to get hungry and somehow his mind was able to come up with a plan to make her breakfast in bed. She groaned again as he got up, trying to hold onto him, so he lean over and kissed her on the top of the head as he whisper, "Don't worry love, I'll be right back."

That did it, she rolled over on her side, not looking quite as peaceful as before but was still the most beautiful thing he ever saw. He got up and quickly got some clean boxers and pajamas pants before walking to the kitchen. As soon as he open the fridge he groan... there was nothing in there. Damn, wasn't Greg supposed to go shopping? he thought as he went to the cupboard and they were just as empty as the fridge.

Crap, what was he supposed to do now? He was really hungry now and he was sure they would have to leave the house, which was something that he wasn't planning on doing anytime soon... in fact he didn't even want to leave his room. But, there really wasn't anything eatable in the whole house.

He sulked back to his room with a pad of paper, he would have to go to the bakery just down the street and get something there. He smiled when he saw her still in peaceful slumber and placed the note on the pillow near her face, praying that he would be back before she woke up. He kissed her head one last time and quickly made his way to the bakery.

O

It was only five minutes later that Jean started to stir. She was a little soar, but as memories of meeting the handsome red head in the coffee shop filled her head she started smiling. She never thought that she was one to do something as rash as last night, but from the moment she looked into his eyes she felt different, in the best way imaginable. In his presences she felt like she had finally found herself, found where she was always supposed to be, she just never knew it before.

She could tell by how sad his eyes got when she asked questioned about his past that there must be something that he was holding back, that he was afraid to tell her. She really hope that he would get over that soon, and thought that if she open up herself it might make it easier on him. She had never been one to open up, the only people that actually knew anything about her were Josh, who she knew that no matter how close they are now she never would have told him this if he wasn't there from the beginning, and Dr. Smith. However, it was so easy to talk to Matt, he just made her feel safe and she had already told him more in a few hours than she told anyone else. When he looked at her with his warm blue eyes, her heart melted and she can't help but to be honest and open with him.

Still, she thought as she stretched her arms and yawned (not noticing the paper floated off the bed), even though he didn't disclose his past, she still knew who he was. She could tell by his facial expression exactly how he felt about something; for instants he was an extremely devoted worker... as long as he was working towards something. He had talked excitedly about his criminology class (the class that he was reading that book for in the coffee shop) and he went into details about it that were really fascinating. However, when she asked about his other classes he groaned at the mention of his English class, wrinkling his nose, and confessed after she had teased him about it that he wasn't much of a student but he knew what he wanted to do and just had to suffer through classes like that.

He seemed to think that was a drawback, mostly because he picked up rather quickly that she love all facets of learning, but she thought it was admirable going after what he wanted like that (and she told him so). It also seem like he didn't thing that he was that smart, that he had to relay on his work ethic to get things done, but she could see that he was more observant than he thought. She also knew that he was kind, though sometimes he could be really insensitive and often said the wrong thing (that was okay though because when he tried to explain himself he would get really flustered and look extremely cute). As she lingered on his flustered face in her mind she opened her eyes, really wanting to see him again. However, he wasn't there.

"Matt?" she called as she turned over, holding the sheets over her chest, only to find an empty room. She frowned, she really wanted to see him so she got out of bed. She couldn't seem to find her cloths (well she saw her jeans but she didn't want to put them on and she remembered that her shirt was in the front room) so she just put on his discarded boxes and undershirt.

"Matt?" she called again as she walked down the hall. There was something very unnerving about the silence, it was like she was the only one in the house and she didn't like that. When she got to the kitchen she still hadn't found anyone, she really thought he would be here. She retrieved her shirt and sweatshirt that was hanging of the couch in the small living room, remembering that he said that he had a roommate and she didn't particularly want that to be seen.

"Matt?" she said again as an ache in her chest started to build the longer she was there without seeing him. She walked back down the hall and opened the first door there, it was another room that was luckily empty, so she closed the door and went on to the next. This one was a small bathroom, but Matt was still no where to be seen.

She really started to panic now. Where was he? Why did he leave her alone? It was his house for crying out loud, why wasn't he here? She shook her head, it couldn't be what it seem like, she shouted to herself, you know him better thea that. He wouldn't do something like this!

_Know him! _The logical part of her mind shouted bitterly (it seem to be angry that she didn't listen to it last night when it could have saved her from this pain). _You don't know him at all. He just told you everything you wanted to hear and you fell for his charm because he reminded you for the red haired man of your dreams. _

_No,_ the core of her being seem to be shouting right back, this was the part of her that was one hundred percent convince that she should believed in him (but it was getting quieter the longer he didn't show up). _You do know him and he would never hurt you like this!_

She sat on his bed waiting for him to come back, and as the time past she got more hurt and depress and after fifteen minutes she started to get angry. Angry at him for leaving her like this (even the part of herself that believed in him was angry at that), angry at herself for letting last night happen so quickly and most of all angry that she was just waiting here for him like she didn't have any pride for herself. She wasn't going to let him think that he could just walk away and she would wait for him like some needy girl. And if he didn't care, she cringed as she thought that, if this was just a one night stand, another notch on his belt that she was now sure that he had tons of (after all he knew exactly what he was doing to her last night), she didn't think she could stand here one more minute.

She got up, pulled on her pants, shoes, and pulled her shirt over her head, and stormed out of the house. Walking fast in her anger to get away, but was barely able to round the corner before the pain of everything that happened hit her. She tried to focus on the anger... she had to get out of here first and then she could let this take over... please let her make it home.

O

Matt ran down to the bakery, that unfortunately was very crowed, and got back to his house forty minutes later, praying that she didn't wake up. He open the door, not even realizing that it was unlock, and quickly made his way to his room with the bag full of pastry and two coffees. He opened his bedroom door and place the coffees on the dresser and then looked at the bed. His heart fell when he saw that she wasn't there.

"Jean?" he called, hoping she was it the bathroom or something (he knew he didn't see her in the kitchen) but nothing came. That was when he noticed his note slightly crumble on the floor. He droppedthe bag he was still holding and walked slowly to the note to pick it up. He read his own words;

_Jean,_

_I went to get some food, there's literally nothing here. I'm sorry about this, but I'll be back before you know it._

_Matt_

Numbness filled him as he looked at the note not even bothering to trying to read it... he had hope that she would leave her own note... but there was nothing. She was gone and he had nothing. He crumble up the note in a tight ball as despair raked his body. He shouldn't have left. What was he thinking leaving her alone.

He throw the note away from him and sink into his bed, as he went over all the ways that he had screwed this up, how he had ruin the only good thing to happened to him in his life (the one he remembered at least). He knew exactly where his biggest mistake was, he knew it at the time too, why the hell didn't he listen to it then. He took this too fast. She was so willing at the time when she was caught up in the throes of the moment that he didn't question it, but obviously she did now. She must have regretted what happened last night and couldn't stand to see him again. It must have been worse for her that he wasn't there, not realizing how much he cared for her. He really shouldn't have left her like that, he could have told her how he felt... made her listen to reason. Or if he had to he would convincing her that they could be friends...

He turned over groaning, it was weird how deep this pain seem to go. He just met her, but she had already became a part of his life in those short hours, and now that she was gone again it felt like a huge hole was hollowed out of him.

O

"Come on Jean, I know you haven't had anything all day," Josh said, he was standing at her door looking remorsefully at her. "You need to eat."

It was now almost eight in the even and Jean had been in bed all day (something she's never done before). She hadn't made it home, she got as far as a small park a few blocks away from _his_ house before she sank down on one of the swings there and let her tears take her over. She didn't know how long she stayed there before Josh had called her, sounding a little worried (she never gone out on her own before after all), and he became even worse as soon as he heard her voice. As soon as he found her he pulled her into his arms, not even bothering to try to make her tell him what was wrong but just taking her back to her flat and staying with her as long as she needed him.

"I'm not hungry," Jean said in a raspy voice.

"I don't care," Josh said, trying to be forceful. "You're coming out now."

"Alright," Jean gave in, she didn't have it in her to argue and she knew he must have a point (not that she noticed her hungry for herself). She got up slowly and walked to the kitchen not saying another word to him.

"Are you going to tell me what happened?" he asked thirty minutes later, she was almost through with the stew that he had gotten them from the store nearby. He figured that she wasn't up to eating anything that would be a hassle and that soup would be the easiest thing.

"Hmmmm..." she said and thought about that for a moment. She didn't really want to tell him, she knew that he wouldn't think too highly of her for what she did, but knew that it would help if he knew what happened.

"Sorry... I didn't mean to pry," Josh sighed. "You don't have to tell me anything."

"I... I met someone yesterday," she said in a whisper. "It felt so natural being with him..."

At that Josh frowned, but his look of concern was still plastered all over his face.

"I felt... I don't know, like I was me... the real me," she continued starting to tear up. "I felt like I was finally comfortable with myself when I was with him..."

"Shhhh..." Josh said moving his sit next to her and putting his arms around her as she really started to cry. "It's okay. Let it out."

"We talked for hours..." she made herself go on as the tears over came her. "And somehow we were outside his house and we kiss... it was... I… I wanted him..."

"It's okay," Josh said not really needing her to go on, he knew what she was going to say. He pulled her closer, he couldn't imagine how hard it was for her this last year not knowing anything about herself and the pain that would cause. But this, this had to be agony, to think you had found someone that you connected with... and judging my her tears it didn't end well.

"And when I woke up... he was gone," she muttered.

Josh grip on her tightened upon hearing at that, and he was suddenly so angry he didn't know what to do. "What? He was gone." She flinched at the words and his reactions and nodded her head. "Tell me where he lives!" he hissed.

"What?" Jean said. "Why?"

"Because I'm going to kill him," Josh hissed like it was obvious. "How could he do that to you?"

"He didn't know," she said. "It's not like he knew how attached I was."

"Jean..." Josh hissed, how could she defend him. "He's a f..."

"Stop," she said surprising herself with the anger that she was feeling. "Just stop... please..."

"Jean..." Josh sighed, how was he supposed to argue with her when she look like that, somehow more innocent and hurt than he's ever seen her. "All right."

"Thanks," she gave him a week smile and then laid her head on his shoulder. "And for being here for me, too."

"You know I'll always be here," Josh said squeezing her tightly and they just stayed like that until she fell asleep and he carried her to her room.


	8. Separation

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters.**

**Update 11/29/2010**

Chapter Eight

Separation

Matt didn't know how he got through the next two weeks of school (and more importantly his finals) but somehow he managed to get the incident out of his focus (it wouldn't leave his mind all together no matter how hard he tried). That doesn't mean that he didn't think of her almost constantly, but at least he was able to spend a few hours at a time studying. The bane of his existence and also the thing he looked forward to most was sleep. He would almost always dream of her, mostly they were very good dream but sometime he would dream about the pain and angry he was sure she was feeling now. However, it didn't matter what dream he would have, he would always wake up depress not having her with him.

He noticed that when he worked harder he didn't have time to think about it, that he could go hours in a numb sort of daze where he didn't feel like the biggest idiot in the world for letting her get away like that. So that's what he did, he work non stop. As soon as he was done with finals he signed up for summer classes, taking as many as he could, so much so that he would only need to take two more class the next semester before he would be ready to take his test. He saved his hardest class for the real semester, because it was the one class that dealt with law and though he knew it was a long shot he still prayed that she would be in that class too (it was one of the required course for law students after all).

His roommate thought that he was crazy for spending all his time working, both on his classes and at his two jobs, but Matt didn't let that effect him at all. It was really getting hard to live with Greg, he would always seem to have people over and make jokes at Matt's reluctance to even talk to any of the girls that were there.

"Geez man, they're practically begging you to take them," Greg said during one of the parties that he thrown (he had just got a job for a major company and he wanted to celebrate). "I made a promise to myself that I would get you laid within a year and you're making it extremely difficult with your behavior, I only have a few months left."

"No one asked you to get me laid!" Matt spat glaring at his roommate.

"Seriously man, you've been totally on edge for the last two months," Greg said now frowning. "You need to loosen up."

"I don't think I could do anything about it," Matt sighed.

"Look, there are plenty of birds here for you to get your mind off things," Greg said.

"That's not going to help," Matt said looking angry, he didn't want just any girl, he wanted his girl. He wanted Jean back and somehow even the mere mention of being with another girl made him mad.

"Trust me, a quick shag and all this tension you have will go away," Greg said.

"I don't want a quick shag... that's what got me in this fucking mess in the first place!" Matt hissed.

"Well it... wait what?" Greg looked at him incredulously. "You shagged someone?"

"Er," Matt said blushing but still looking angry. "That's none of your business."

"Huh?" Greg said a little upset and then he frowned. "When did this happen... not wait let me guess, the day you didn't show when you promised you'd go to that party."

"Whatever," Matt said trying to walk away.

"That's a long time to be hung up about a bird," Greg said knowing that he was right because of Matt's reaction. "She must be really good in the sack."

"Shut up!" Matt hissed glaring at Greg again.

"I wonder if I could find her, I mean she was only with you after all, she needs to know what being with a real man..." Greg smirked.

"I SAID SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Matt shouted grabbing Greg's shirt and pulling him towards him. "Don't you dare talk about her like that!"

"Okay, okay," Greg said really afraid of the enraged redhead. "I didn't mean it... geez man, I don't even know her name."

Matt let him go and tried to calm himself. He didn't know why he let Greg get to him like that, he just didn't like the way that Greg had made her sound. He couldn't stand the image of her being like that- well with anyone else. He know he didn't have any claim on her, he probably would never see her again but that didn't stop him from wishing that he could be the only one for her- wishing that she could be his.

"Sorry," Matt sighed after a minute.

"It's cool," Greg said straightening himself up. "I don't get it, if you're this nuts about this bird, why haven't I've seen her around."

"I don't know where she is... or how to find her," Matt sighed.

"Tough luck mate," Greg said slapping him on his back and moving along, he didn't really know what else to say seeing as he's never felt that way.

Matt spent the rest of the night wallowing in self pity, every once in a while a girl would try talking to him but his mood was so dark that no one stayed too long. Matt didn't really talk much to Greg for the month and a half that he stayed there before he moved to London to start his job there. He was so relieved when Greg left but it did put him in a tight spot, he really couldn't afford to have the house to himself and he was going to have to try and find a roommate soon.

O

Jean, on the other hand was having a much harder time during that summer. The Sunday morning after the incident (that's what she labeled it in her head) she pushed all of her pain and worry away so that she could concentrate on her work. It work just like she wanted it to for the two weeks and she was completely able to not think about this for that time. Okay that was a lie, it was constantly on the edge of her mind and there were times were it would break through completely and all she could do was allow the pain take her over.

She was still every conflicted, half of her was still convinced that she had been wrong, that he cared more about her. She would remember how they were for the first few hours at the coffee shop and walking, and that guy she was sure really cared about her. He just seem to be the perfect guy, or at least the perfect guy for her, and she liked believing that was who he was. However, her mind could never stop there, she always went on to the part were she woke up alone. She would always shiver at that thought and feel like she was punched in the stomach, and then she would always get angry at that for many different reason.

However, her method did work enough to allow her to get through her finals easy enough, though she felt like she was sleep walking through them. As soon as she was done with her last final she felt so relieved that it was finally over that she called Josh and they went out to dinner to celebrate. It was really nice, she was starting to feel like herself again, being able to enjoy her time with him, but still she couldn't get Matt out of her head.

To make things worse, something happened that she really wasn't expecting and really didn't know if she could deal with. It was about five days later, and she was in the grocery store buying supplies when she realized that she was four days late. That had never happened to her for as long as she could remember and she really was starting to panic. She quickly bought a home pregnancy test and rushed home (completely forgetting about the other grocery that she was supposed to buy).

About three hours later Josh was knocking at the door and she went to answer it.

"You don't look ready," Josh looked over her carefully.

"What?" Jean said looking at him in a daze.

"We're going to a movie remember?" Josh said looking at her more carefully. "What happened?"

"I..." Jean said still looking confused and like she didn't really know what was going on.

"Jean... what happened?" Josh asked again, stepping inside and starting to get really worried. He's never seen her this distant before, not even after the incident, and she was devastated after that but right now she just seems like she wasn't there at all.

"I think... I think I might be... pregnant," Jean said slowly in a distant voice, trying to focus herself but saying the words didn't seem to be helping any.

Josh looked at her shocked for a long time (his mouth hanging open) until he was finally able to say, "What? Are you sure?"

"I took a test..." Jean said, his exclamation seemed to wake her up a little. "It was positive..."

"Oh crap!" Josh said. "How could this happen... didn't you use protection?"

"Yes, but no protection is a hundred percent," Jean muttered looking embarrassed talking about this.

"That's true," Josh sighed. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know..." Jean said looking at him confused.

"You know you have options right," Josh said. "You're very young..."

"What are you suggesting?" Jean looked at him and she was glaring, no longer distant at all.

"Er... I... I don't know," Josh said backing off a little. "It's just that you just got your life started and..."

"And this will make it a lot more difficult," Jean glared at him. "Let just get one thing clear Josh, I'm going to have this baby and I'm going to raise him or her the best I can, and if that means my life and plans have to be put off... then so be it," she finished looking sad but still determined. "And if you can't handle that Josh, you don't have to stay here..."

"Okay, calm down Jean," Josh said placing his hand on her shoulder. "I didn't mean it like that... you know I'll be here as much as I can."

"I know," Jean sighed. "I just... I... I don't know what to do."

"I know," Josh said pulling her into a hug. "It's okay, we'll figure it out. I think we should go to the doctors first though... make sure you're really pregnant..."

"Josh," Jean said into his chest. "Why are you so good to me?"

"Because I care about you," Josh said simply; she was really becoming something of a sister to him and he would do anything for her.

"If I am pregnant, I'll have to quit school..." Jean sighed ten minutes later.

"No you don't... you just wont be able to go as much as you do right now," Josh said.

"No, I'll have to work as much as I can to making sure I can support myself and the baby," Jean said. "Good thing I got a good job... but I don't know want I'm going to do about child support... and how long will I have to take off when the baby is born..."

"Jean, you know I'll help you..." Josh said.

"I know," Jean smiled at him. "But it's going to be more difficult than just having someone to help me."

"You know that I will help in any way I can... whatever means..." Josh said knowing that the prideful girl wouldn't take that offer.

"And you know that I won't let you... not like that at least," Jean smiled at him. "I'm the one that got myself in this mess and I'm going to have to find a way to deal with it..."

"And what if you can't handle it?" Josh asked.

"Then I'm going to have to take you up on that offer," Jean sighed. "But I really don't want to do that."

"Fine, but you should still go to school," Josh said.

"Josh..." Jean groaned.

"No, it's important that you do that," Josh said.

"Please stop," Jean said. "You know that I like to go to school if I can... you know how much I'll going to regret not going, but I can't..."

"You see that's more reason why you should go," Josh said. "You don't want to regret anything. Look, I'm not saying that you have to go to school all the time... just don't give up on it."

"We'll see," Jean said. "I've got to tell Steve about this thought. Maybe he'll let me work more, especially now...

"True, if you make enough over the summer you'll have to go to school," Josh said.

"Will you lay off the school already," Jean groaned.

"You have to go to as many classes as you can now because you won't have the time or money to handle it in the future," Josh said. "I would suggest summer classes, but you're right about the working thing. Dad says that the summertime is often a good time of year and I'm sure you can get plenty of hours."

"Whatever," Jean rolled her eyes.

"I guess the movie is out... do you want take away?" Josh said after another long silence.

"Sure," Jean said. "I'm starting to get really hungry."

"Oh," Josh said looking at her suddenly oddly. "I'm going to have to play the role of husband aren't I."

"What?" Jean looked at him and chuckled.

"Well, you don't really have anyone else do you?" Josh said over-dramatically.

"I guess not," Jean laughed (knowing that he wasn't really being serious). "But that doesn't mean you have to be my husband figure."

"But who else are you going to call when you have strange craving in the middle of the night or you're worried about something."

"I don't know," Jean said. "Maybe I'll just do..."

"Jean, I want you to call me," Josh said serious this time.

O

The next few weeks were really difficult for Jean. They had gone to the doctor the next day and found that she was indeed pregnant and that the baby was healthy. Afterward she was given a few pamphlets about what was the best way to act while being pregnant and naturally she dragged them to a bookstore also to get a few more books on the subject and what to expect in the early years of mother hood (and she found one for the single mother too).

As the days passed she wasn't really feeling her best, morning sickness wasn't something she found she liked and the extra hormones weren't very fun either. It also didn't help that she was working almost ten hour work days everyday when all she really wanted to do was sleep. She did follow the nutritional diet that she read was best for her during this time, though she found that she had craving for all kinds of food that she normal wouldn't eat.

Those weren't the only craving she was having either. She seemed to be extremely horny, and she found that just about every guy that she met was incredibly hot (no matter if they really were or not). She was so turned on in fact that she was even hitting on Josh a few times, though this made sense in a way since he was a very good looking guy.

However, she still couldn't seem to get Matt out of her mind. It seemed like every night she would dream of him, and want happened between them (she thought it was strange that she no longer dreamed about her red-headed mystery man but just figure she had enough of her real life red head to fill that quota).

It was a beautiful Sunday evening, they were out on his balcony where the sun had just set and they were finishing the meal that Josh had made them. "It's really beautiful here," Jean sighed.

"I know," Josh smiled. "We should probably get in... it's getting cold out here."

"Right," Jean said taking the hand that he offered her and the next thing she knew she was staring into his eyes (eyes that she so easily could pretend were the ones that she really wanted to see) and she was hit with a strong desire to kiss him.

"Jean..." Josh sighed as she leaned into him. He put an arm on her shoulder and pushed her away slightly. "We can't do that..."

"I know," Jean said starting to tear up for some unknown reason... she knew that she didn't really like Josh in that way at all, so this shouldn't effect her like this. "It's just... it's hard..."

"I know, I'm simply irresistible," Josh smiled smugly.

"Not at the moment you're not," Jean said narrowing her eyes. "I'm sorry... I'm trying..."

"Don't worry about it," Josh said. "Though you need to keep a few things in mind. First, I don't think of you like that... it's not my idea of something I would like to do. And Second, I have a girlfriend and I'm not sure..."

"You have a girlfriend?" Jean asked incredulously.

"Yeah," Josh said looking a little nervous but also amused.

"How long? How come I've never met her?" Jean asked.

"Er... we've been going out a while," Josh said blushing a little. "And I haven't really told anyone I've been going out with someone."

"Why not?" Jean said narrowing her eyes at him. "Who is she?"

"I'm not ready to tell yet," Josh said. "But I will soon I promise."

"Do I know her?" Jean asked looking at him closely.

"That's not important right now," Josh said avoiding her eyes and trying to change the subject.

"You should have taken a few classes in law, specifically the one in reading people's faces," Jean smirked, knowing that he was trying to avoid her question, meaning that she did likely know whoever it is that he's going out with. "It would have help you with all those books you're supposed to be writing."

"Whatever," Josh rolled his eyes. "I had something to asked you."

"What is it?" Jean said letting the other subject drop seeing as he wasn't going to say anymore on it.

"I was wondering if you wanted to move in here?" Josh said asking in a rush.

"What?" Jean said looking confused.

"I was just thinking that it would save you money if you moved in with me," Josh said still speaking fast.

"And let me guess, that way I can go to school?" Jean asked amused (he was constantly trying to get her to agree to go to school) but was looking at him thoughtfully.

"Well, yeah that's one of the things that I was thinking about," Josh admitted. "But I was also thinking that it would be good for after you have the little guy too."

"I don't know," Jean sighed and then smirked. "And how would your girlfriend feel when you have your pregnant friend staying with you."

"She'll be okay," Josh said confidently. "She knows exactly how I feel about you."

Jean eyed him skeptically, she had a feeling that there was something about this relationship of Josh's that she wasn't getting but pushed that to the side.

"Just think about it," Josh said. "I know your lease is coming up in mid September and it would be easy if you move in here then."

"I'll think about it," Jean said thoughtfully; she had been worried about keeping her apartment over the last few weeks, knowing it was more than she could really afford in her present situation.

"Good," Josh smiled. "There was something else that I wanted to ask."

"What is it?" Jean asked in trepidation not liking the expression in his eyes right now.

"I was wonder if you were going to tell the father..." Josh said looking angry.

"Yes," Jean sighed. "I just need time..."

"Okay," Josh relaxed; in his opinion the guy was a real bastard but even he deserved to know that he would have a kid (even though Josh thought the guy would have just walk away).

"I think I should get going," Jean said after that, she had a lot to think about right now and of course the one that was forefront in her mind was the Matt issues. She knew that he deserved to know about the child and to be in his or her life as soon as the baby was born but she was unsure how to do it. She was still very conflicted about him and she didn't want to do anything about it until she wasn't anymore.

She knew that she couldn't go see him as long as she still thought of him as the guy that she first met in the coffee shop... the one that she felt so comfortable with. The guy that made her insides squirm just by looking at her, it was much too dangerous going near him as long as she thought of him like that. However, it didn't seem to be getting easier to not think of him like that, there was still a large part of her that believe in that guy. That wanted her to go down to that house (that she knew exactly where it was even though she's only been there once) and just tell him, because she believe that he would accept the news and wouldn't be happy but would support her (and want to see her again). Then the other part of her, that seems to be sometimes very strong and sometimes hardly a whisper, keeps reminder her what it felt like waking up in that room alone. That no guy that really liked her like she wanted him so desperately to would have done that, and that he already got what he wanted from her. So she was going to wait... she wasn't going to see him as long as she thought he could be the guy she first met knowing that if he wasn't she would have been devastated all over again and she really couldn't take that right now.


	9. So We Meet Again

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters.**

**Update 11/29/2010**

Chapter Nine

So We Meet Again

It was a Friday night when Matt walked into the classroom, looking around the room hopefully, trying to pick out a wavy brown head among the mass of students that were there (and that wasn't easy seeing as there were plenty of brunets in the class that seems to have a hundred people in it already). He sat down, still trying to look around and keep his eye on the door but there really were too many people to be looking for. He'll just have to listen to the role call to see if she was here.

Jean on the other hand was able to pick Matt out as soon as she walked in, no one had his exact shade of hair (and it happened to stick out drawing her eyes too it). She closed her eyes when she saw him and took a set as far away as she could from him, she really wasn't ready to see him again. At this moment she was seriously regretting listening to Josh and going back to school for this last semester before she gave birth, she even contemplated leaving, but in the small chance that he remembered her name she didn't want him to know that she ran from him (not to mention she really hated the idea of running at all).

When her name was called she answered quickly and didn't even look around to see if he even recognized it, she didn't want to be disappointed if he didn't. Matt on the other hand looked up hopefully and smiled broadly when he saw her. He couldn't believe that she was actually in the class, that he could really make up for the mistake that he made the last time. When his name was called again she didn't look around. Matt frowned at that; he was hoping that she would at least remember his name, but pushed that aside, he was going to somehow work his way into her life again no matter what he had to do. So he spent the rest of the class thinking about how he was going to talk to her.

Jean was distracted the whole class, not really taking in anything the professor said as she thought about want she was going to do now. She had to talk to him, he was going to realized soon enough what's happening to her and it would be best to get it over with sooner than later. Still, she was worried about her continuing to be so conflicted about this whole ordeal and how that would effect this conversation. However, after the class had finished, she wasn't the one that broached the subject.

"Jean," Matt said looking nervous and utterly like the guy that she wanted him to be, the one that cared.

"Matt," Jean answered trying to stay level headed and caught off guard that he would want to talk to her (he probably just wants another round, the logical and bitter part of her brain said).

"Can we talk?" Matt asked nervously, he really didn't like her cold behavior or maybe it was the fact that it didn't seem as effortless as it was the last time they had met, but that didn't stop his heart from pounding in his chest and his eyes to stare at her.

"Yes, I think that would be a good idea," Jean said and the two of them walked out of the class and keep going until they reached one of the park benches that were close by. Matt sat at one end giving her the option to sit wherever she wanted and was displeased when she sat at the opposite end.

"So," he said not really knowing what to say now. "How have you been?" he knew it was the wrong thing to say because she started glaring at him a that (a glare with real anger in it that he was more than a little afraid of).

"Oh I've been brilliant, and you?" she spat angrily.

"Er... okay... er..." he said terrified, having really no idea what to do and what it was that he said that made her react like this.

"Oh that's just lovely!" she huffed beside herself with anger now. "I've been miserable this whole time and you've just been peachy keen..." she said and some of the anger made way for the pain that she's been numbing with her conviction that he wasn't really like that. It seem like the logical side of her was trying to take control of her, she couldn't be hurt like the last time again, so she couldn't let those blue eyes and cute smile effected her. All it really did was make her even more angry than ever and it was just so easy to take her anger out on him.

"Er... I don't..." he said looking totally confused; this was nothing like the girl that he met all those months ago and yet even though she was pissed at him, he knew there was no other place he would like to be right now.

"I'm..." she said about to just shout out this information to him, but she was able to stop herself just in time, that really wasn't the way to tell news like this. No, she had to gather her strength and emotions so that she could tell him this the right way. "Matt I have to tell you something."

"I'm listening," he said caught off guard by the change of emotion.

"I'm pregnant," she said going straight to the point.

"What?" he said his eyes widening and looking beyond scared. He never thought in a million years that this would happen like this. "How?"

"I'm pretty sure you know how," she said narrowing her eyes at him. "Look I'm not expecting anything from you..."

"What does that mean?" he asked suddenly looking mad himself.

"It means that you don't have to do anything," she said coldly.

"Do you really think that I'm the type of guy that would just abandon my child like that?" he said hotly, and hurt as he started to wonder if he knew this girl at all. "I'd never do that."

"After what you did to me, just leaving me like that, I think you're capable of doing anything," she said just as hotly, but part of her was pleased that he felt this way about the baby... though she wished that he felt that way about her too.

She sighed and then looked away from him, it was all to obvious that she still had feeling for him, that she took a certain comfort having him near her (and oddly it was even more so with them arguing like this), but it wasn't going to work with him. And now, he was going to be in her life more... for the baby, and she didn't know how she was going to take that. And what if he decides that he should make an honest woman of her... how was she going to react to that? She didn't know that it was possible but that thought just made her feel worse than anything. To seem to have him but at the same time knowing that he really didn't want to be there... that would be the worst form of torture wouldn't it?

"What are you talking about?" he asked stun again for the third time in the last two hours.

"What am I talking about?" she repeated as that question made her more angry and hurt than anything else... as if she didn't mean anything at all to him that he couldn't even be bothered to remember what he did to her. "After what we shared together, you just leaving me in your stupid house..."

Matt's eyes grew bigger as she continued to talk but he couldn't hear a single word she said. She thought that he had just left her, that he was just using her. This was so much worst than what he was expecting. He thought that she was just scared because of how fast everything went and then too embarrassed to try and see him again. But this, he had some explaining to do, and she had a real reason to be angry with him.

"Jean..." he groaned looking pleading, his eyes filled with despair. "Didn't you see the note..."

"I don't care..." she said looking beside herself in anger until she comprehended what he just said. "Note?"

"I left you a note... I went to get some food..." he said still pleading. "You didn't see it."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she said looking shocked herself and almost hopeful, but also more afraid as he scooted closer to her, taking her hand. Could she believe him... would he lie to her like this? "So let me get this straight, you left me alone in your house so you could get some food," she whispered in anger but as the word left her mouth it made more sense than she would have thought (it just seem so like him to do something like that).

"Er..." he said lowing his head in defeat, feeling more lowly of himself than ever before. "I wanted to make you breakfast..."

"Hmph!" she said.

"I thought you had seen it," he said desperately. "I've been looking for you since the last time... I've gone to the coffee shop every free moment I had and I even tried looking for you in this building (he pointed to the building they had just exited where almost all of her classes were in) but couldn't find you. I honesty thought that you didn't want anything to do with me..."

"Why?" she chocked out looking in his eyes as her heart started to beat a little faster but she tried to calm herself. She couldn't let this get her too excited... what happens if he leaves her again?

"I thought you thought that we went to fast... that we shouldn't have... you know," he said blushing.

"I would never have regretted that," she whispered.

"Do you now?" he asked softly looking into her eyes that had soften considerably since this conversation started, but he could see that they were still hurt and wary.

"That depends," she said, biting her lip.

"On?" he asked.

"On if you really mean what you're saying," she said.

"Of course I do," he smiled at her. "I don't think you realize how much I care about you... I've never felt this way before."

"Please don't," she said turning away from him and looking at the sidewalk in front of her, she had decided that she was going to have to try and believe him, seeing as he was going to be in her life no matter what now, and if he was telling the truth... it would mean everything. "Don't say that unless you really mean it... I can't take this again."

"You don't have to worry," he said moving her chin so that she was force to look at him again. "I mean every word I said to you."

"Really?" she said hopefully.

"Yes," he said softly. "You know me better than this don't you? The last time we met I told you everything about me... please tell me that you believe me!"

"I want to," she said smiling sadly, and it was really hard not to when he looked at her like that, but the logical part of her mind tried to instill caution in her. "I really like that guy, but it's hard to think about him without thinking about want happened next..."

"Then I'm going to just prove to you that I'm that guy," he smiled. "Please give me the chance to prove that."

"What do you have in mind?" she asked.

"How about we get something to eat, I think we still have a lot to talk about," he said, but he noticed that Jean was again hesitant to do this. "I promise that I won't shag you today."

"Oh," she said suddenly smirking. "I don't think that you should have said that."

"Why?" he asked confused.

"You should have said that you wouldn't try to shag me," she smiled, and she really looked him over this time. He was just as hot as she remembered him, and as the part of her that felt so comfortable with him took over she couldn't help but feel better about everything that happened today. "What if I want to shag you?" she couldn't seem to stop herself from teasing him (though she knew that it was likely that's where this was going to head).

"Oh... er... I didn't think of that," he said rubbing the back of his head. "So does that mean that you'll have dinner with me?"

"I guess it does," she said. "But I think it's best if we just get some take away and eat it at my flat."

"Sound perfect to me," he smiled, thinking that as soon as he knows where she lives he could make sure that she never disappears on him again.

So they did just that, getting some food at one of the food courts on campus, Matt using his discount, wanting to save his money. After they got to her flat they went to the table and started eating and talking like they did the last time they had met each other. Once again they both felt more comfortable with the other though Jean was still a little hesitant (or at least she was trying to be). However, after dinner was done she didn't really feel the need to be like that anymore, it was just too easy to laugh with Matt that she let her guard completely down.

When Matt got up, likely to try to leave, Jean walked into him. She really couldn't take it anymore, she was extremely turned on by every smile he give or every time he would look in her eyes. She walked around the table and kissed him and kissed him hard. Matt was caught completely caught off guard at that and before he knew what he was doing he was on her bed with her kissing him fiercely, which he was quite happy about until he felt her hands on his belt.

"Jean," Matt groaned as he tried to pull away. "We can't..."

"And why not?" Jean asked a little amused by his behavior, but wasn't about to take no for an answer.

"Because I promised you that I wouldn't shag you today," he sighed.

"Don't worry... I won't hold you to that," she rolled her eyes.

"How can you believe in anything that I say if I just give in like that?" he asked as his body groaned for him to shut the hell up, but this time he was determined to do the right thing.

She sighed, not seeing that argument coming. "I believe you... you don't have to prove yourself to me anymore."

"It's not about that," he said not really knowing how to explain himself, but before he could even try he gave her a goofy smiled. "You believe me."

"Yeah," she chuckled at how excited he seem to get about that. "A part of me always knew who you were, and really never thought badly of you... well that's not entirely true..."

"What do you mean?" he asked looking confused but he was still smiling he loved the feeling of her laying one his chest the way she was now.

"Well even that part was angry with you for being gone like that," she smirked. "Though it just thought that you would come up with some really lame excuse... which you did by the way."

"Hey, it was a very good excuse," he pouted.

"No, it really wasn't," she said coldly narrowing her eyes. "It was a ridiculous excuse, you and your stupid stomach! Couldn't you have gone without eating for a few hours?"

"Trust me Mine, I wish I would have," he laughed.

"Mine?" she asked and for some unknown reason the name made her insides melt, it felt so familiar to be called that though it wasn't quite right.

"Er... it's kind what I called you in my head the last few months," he said in trepidation, hoping she wouldn't have a problem with it; it was rather possessive after all.

"So you think that I'm yours?" she asked trying to make herself sound cold and looked up at him narrowing her eyes (she didn't want him to know how much she like the name).

"Er... no of course not," he said shaking his head. "It's just how I wanted you to be... I mean us to be... just you and me..."

"Hm... so this means you're mine too right?" she asked getting completely aroused again by his words so she started to kiss his neck. "I think I like that idea..."

"So you don't mind if I call you that?" he asked as he took in a breath because of what she was doing to him.

"I actually really like it," she said sitting up straighter looking at him with lust and longing, before she leaned down and kissed him again.

They snogged like that for a while until Matt pulled away again causing them both to groan. "Jean, please... I don't think I can take anymore of this."

"That's the general idea," she smirked at him and tried to kiss him again.

"I'm serious," he said looking sad.

"I'm here right now... isn't that more important than what I think of tomorrow," she said starting to get annoyed with how stubborn he was being about this (and wondered why he was rejecting her like this too).

"Of course not," he said looking into her eyes. "I'm planning on having a lot of tomorrows with you..."

"Really," she smiled and then groaned. "If you're not going to do anything with me you've got to stop saying things like that."

"Sorry," he said smiling sheepishly. "I don't remember you being this crazy last time... while maybe..."

"It's the hormones, I can't seem to control myself at all," she said. "I think just about everyone is hot nowadays..."

"Now doesn't that just make me feel special," he said sarcastically.

"Well, you are the only one that I would actually want to be here with so that should make you feel better," she sighed. "Though just having you hear seems to be driving me crazy."

"Do you want me to go?" he asked, not wanting to make her uncomfortable.

"No!" she said immediately. "I'll take insanity if it means having you here."

"Good, because I really don't want to be anywhere else," he chuckled.

She groaned again and buried her head in his chest, it seemed that no matter what he did, it just turned her on more. Matt sighed at that, his resolve was failing as he watched her try to struggle to control herself. Then he looked over to the side and when he turned back to her he was smiling broadly as he turned and kissed her with all the passion that he's been feeling the last few hours. She kissed him back, definitely pleased that he was finally going along with what she's been wanting.

The kiss quickly progressed to something much more as some of their layers of clothing started to fall off. By the time that she was down to nothing but her knickers and bra (he was just wearing his boxes) she pulled away, needing to know why he changed his mind (he didn't really seem like someone that would just do that on a whim).

"What's gotten into you?" she asked breathlessly seeing as he had just finished kissing her soundly.

"This is what you wanted isn't it?" he asked mostly smugly but there was just enough nerves there for her to know that he was asking if it was all right for him to continue.

"Definitely," she smiled back at him. "But why the sudden change... you're going back on your word."

"No I'm not," he said smiling badly. "It's past twelve... it's tomorrow."

"Oh," she said looking at the clock and noticing it read 12:25.

"So you see, I've already fulfilled my promise... unless you don't agree with technicalities," he said starting to back off again.

"I love technicalities," she said but when he tried to kiss her she dodged him skillfully.

"Hey," he pouted though at the same time he lean down to nuzzle her neck as he reached around her, his hands moving up her back. This time she was too impatience to wait for him so she reached behind herself and her bra was gone. He seemed to pout again until he looked down, shrugged and then took her right breast in his hand and started to knead it. Soon after that he leaned down and stuck in his mouth.

"Hhhmmm..." she moaned and pushed his head to her, oh how she loved the feeling of him touching her like this. He then moved his hand down to her knickers and reached inside and stroked her folds.

"So bloody wet for me," he growled as he moved up to kiss her, but she wasn't having any of this now. She couldn't take it any longer and she just pushed him off of her.

"What..." he said said looking scared that she didn't like whatever he was doing but when he felt her rip off his boxers he stopped worrying about it.

"I'm sorry, but I can't take it any longer," she growled as she straddle him. "I need you too much."

And without father ado she lowered herself on him and they both moaned at the sensation. She stilled when she met his hip, still not quite use to this and then opened her eyes to look into his. His eyes were on hers as well as she started rocking her hips causing them both to moan again. It didn't take long for her to start to quicken her pace and for him to start moving his hips up to met hers as his hand rested on her hips making her go even faster than ever.

"Oh God... yes... yes..." she screamed as she felt her climax coming and she throw her head back, her hand firming on his chest as she impaled herself on him as hard as she could.

"Oh God... Mine..." he yelled; the sight of her like that finally pushing him over the edge and the way that he had said 'Mine' had driven her completely insane and she cum with him. She collapsed on him as soon as she was finished breathing heavily, completely satisfied and enjoying the feeling of their naked bodies together.

"You were right about the second time," she whispered a few minutes later.

"I reckon you're right," he chuckled. "Though I did plan on this happening a little sooner."

"It's all right now," she said. "Just as long as you don't go anywhere..."

"Don't worry about it, I won't even get out of this bed until you tell me too," he said obviously joking but was also serious.

"Good, because I don't want to hunt you down and make you pay for this," she smiled in his chest. They didn't really talk anymore that night, and soon the two of them fell asleep both pleased to know that they would have plenty of time in the future to talk about this.

**A/N: I would just like to say that when I first came up with this story I didn't plan to have them become pregnant, I've never been one to like that in stories, however there were certain scene that came to my mind that made me decided to go that way. The first of those images was the park bench scene where Hermione revealed every and Ron just staring at her shocked, both because of the baby and the fact that she thought that he was the biggest jerk in the world for just leaving her. There is another scene that will be coming later in the story though that is the real reason why I decided to go with the pregnancy route (I'll be sure to point it out when it comes). **


	10. The Truth

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters.**

**Update 11/29/2010**

Chapter Ten

The Truth

One of the worst things about being pregnant was having to go to the bathroom every few hours. Jean groaned when she woke up, really not wanting to leave Matt's arms but she didn't really have a choice at the moment. She got up, and put on his boxes and his over shirt (only buttoning the middle few buttons) and then went to the bath room.

Though she was only gone for a few minutes, Matt woke up and looked around the room. He really didn't like that she wasn't there.

"Told you it wasn't a good feeling," she said entering the room and noticing his beginnings of a panic attack. "It's much worst when there's no one in the house at all."

"Sorry," he sighed, noticing that even though she was joking, she was indeed still upset about that.

"It's okay," she said as she pulled the sheets up and crawling back into the bed.

"Hm... I think I like it better last night," he said as she made herself comfortable on his chest.

"What's that?" she said; feeling more apprehensive than she like to admit.

"You seem to be wearing too much," he smiled down at her and loved the fact that she was actually blushing. "I like the feel of your skin against mine..."

"Hm... I think I know what you mean," she smirked. "You're just going to have to take this off me then, now aren't you," she added as she lead on his chest and kissed him.

"My pleasure," he said between kisses as his hands traveled to her waist, underneath her (his really) shirt. His hand keep traveling upwards until he got to...

"Okay Jean it's time to..." Josh said coming into the room. Jean froze as soon as she heard the voice and snapped her head towards the door where Josh was looking at her shocked and appalled. "Sorry... I'll give you some privacy," he continued and then left the room looking furious.

"Josh!" Jean called after him, but her friend didn't turn around. "I'm sorry Matt," she turned back around looking shock, embarrassed and more than a little angry.

"It's fine," he tried to shrugged.

"I've got to talk to him," she said nothing but anger in her voice now as she got up to go.

"Wait Mine, you're wearing my clothes... what am I supposed to do?" he was able to asked before she left the room.

"Stay in bed," she smirked at him.

"Er... don't you think I should say something... I mean I have to eventually come out don't I," he blushed.

"Good point, just use the bed sheets," she laughed.

"Er..." he blushed even harder.

"I'm joking... look in the top drawer of my dresser," she said pointing at the said dresser and then left the room. Matt walked to the dresser and smiled, in the drawer she told him to look in, was the boxers and shirt he was wearing the first time they met (he's been wondering where they were for a while now).

Jean on the other hand wasn't smiling at all, the longer she thought about it the more angry she seemed to get. When she caught up with Josh, who was in the kitchen looking like he was waiting for her, looking almost as angry as she was, she couldn't hold back any longer.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she shouted.

"I'm taking you to the doctor in a few hours if you don't remember!" Josh shouted back. "Why the fuck are you with a guy like that? I thought you would have learn your lesson by now! You don't pick up strange blokes..."

"You listen to me right now Josh!" She said poking him in the chest. "Whoever I chose to bring home with me is none of your business!"

"It is if you want to live with me!" Josh shouted back.

"Then maybe I don't want to live with you!" she shouted.

"You can't afford living on your own and you know it!" Josh said starting to turn red.

"I can take care of myself!" she turned on him her eyes ablaze with anger and he took a few steps back. "And I don't need anyone telling me what to do! And God damnit Josh, you've got to stop treating me like I can't handle anything. I'm not you bloody sister!"

"I know that!" Josh said his anger raising too. "Do you honesty think I don't know that? It's fucking obviously you're not Jean. You don't..."

"You're always acting like you have to solve all my problems!" Jean shouted at him before he could even finish. "That's not what a friendship is supposed to be like... and I really don't need that..."

"Fine, you don't want to be my friend..." Josh started to say as he got up to leave.

"I would love to be your friend," she said sadly watching his back, she really had no idea where she would have been without him and hate it if this was how there relationship ended. "But that's never what I've been to you."

"What?" Josh said turning back around glaring at her. "Jean, you've been more than a friend to me and if you can't see that I don't know what to think..."

"Oh I see it," she said sadly looking back at his eyes. "I've seen since the moment I woke up in the hospitable exactly what you thought about me. I'm just a replacement for you..."

"No," Josh said his eyes going wide and his anger leaving him. "That's not it at all..."

"You're right... it's not it completely," she smiled at him. "I know you do like me for me... but Josh, you don't act like a friend would... and I've known this for a long time now, but I didn't do anything about it because you've been helping me so much and I don't know what I would do without you. But Josh, I can't live in her shadow any longer... and I most certainly can't live in the image you seem to have painted me as!" she had now started crying at that (damn hormones).

"I'm sorry," Josh said going over to her and pulling her into a huge. "I didn't even know that I was doing this... that it was bothering you."

"It doesn't all the time," Jean sighed and removed herself from him. "Most of the time you're just my friend."

"I've been trying not to think of you like this," Josh said pinching the bridge of his nose. "And honesty, you're nothing like her at all. She was quite the trouble maker, and loved to rattle everyone's cages and she couldn't stand school of any kind..."

"It seems like she couldn't have been farther from me," Jean smiled at him, this was the first time that he's ever said anything about his sister to her.

"She really was," Josh smiled. "I think that's why this whole pregnancy thing caught me off guard... it's just something that I would have expected from her..."

"Gee thanks," she rolled her eyes.

"It made me miss her more... and I don't know, you being all alone, I just felt that I had to be there for you," Josh said. "Jean I know that you can handle this on your own, but please I want to help you."

"And I'll be happy for your help, as long as you think of me as your friend," she said sadly.

"And what does that entail?" Josh asked raising his eyebrow.

"For starters, you not overreacting when I'm with a guy," she said blushing fiercely.

"Hmph," Josh said narrowing his eyes. "I don't know if I could do that."

"Well, most friends don't fly over the edge like that," she said narrowing her eyes back at him.

"Perhaps," Josh allowed. "But what if the friend is pregnant at the time... I thing they would react a little differently."

"I guess you have point there," she said rolling her eyes. "But that wasn't a protect you for some guy glare you were giving me. It was a I can't believe that you slept with another guy you slut kind of..."

"I never thought you were a slut!" Josh said incredulously.

"That's nice to know," she sighed. "But it was what you looked like."

"Sorry," Josh sighed. "I was a little judgmental I guess... it just that I never excepted you to just pick up some random guy, even with how horny you've been the last couple of weeks."

"Er... it wasn't some random guy," she said blushing again, and preparing for his reaction (which she just knew was going to be over the top).

"What do you mean?" Josh said narrowing his eyes again, and his anger returning full force.

"I mean that I didn't just meet this guy," she said warily. "That there really is only one guy that I would have..."

"You mean that was the bastard that did this to you," Josh said suddenly getting up, trying to head for the bedroom.

"Stop!" Jean said standing in front of him with her arms spread wide.

"Jean, get out of the way!" Josh shouted. "That bastard needs to be taught a lesson..."

"It was a misunderstanding Josh!" she shouted back.

"A misunderstanding!" Josh scoffed. "Whatever he told you was bullshit Jean... I can't believe that you would fall for his stories again..."

"See what I mean... you have to stop treating me like this!" she yelled at him.

"This is the same reaction I would have for any of my friends!" Josh yelled. "Especially when someone was as hurt as you were!"

"Sit down!" she commanded.

"Fine!" Josh said glaring at her as he sat back down in the chair he was in before. "So what was his oh so convincing excuse?"

"That he woke up and wanted to make breakfast for us but there wasn't any food so he went to the bakery to get something," she said really fast knowing that it sounded bad and that Josh wasn't going to believe her. "He left me a note that I didn't see..."

"And you believe that," Josh scoffed. "Perhaps you're not as smart as I thought you were."

"Oh, shut up," she said rolling her eyes. "It wasn't his excuse, it was the feeling behind it..."

"Jean," Josh groaned, he could see in her eyes that she was completely falling for this guy. "You've been down that path and he wasn't there for you then... how do you know that he's not going to hurt you again."

"Because I never wanted to hurt her," Matt said coming out of the hallway looking at Josh. He had been waiting in the room, knowing that the other two really needed to talk, but as soon as he heard them talking about him he decided to come out.

"And you expect me to believe that after what happened the last time?" Josh glared at him coldly.

"No," Matt said looking at him determinedly. "I'm actually quite happy that you don't... I'm glad Jean as someone looking after her..."

"I don't need anyone looking after me," Jean huffed.

"I know," Matt chuckled.

"So you're going to stick with you being the biggest idiot in the world leaving a bird in your bed like that because of your stomach," Josh said hotly.

"It's better than being the biggest bastard in the word," Matt said. "Look, I never claimed to be the smartest person, I think that Jean holds that titled, but I would never do that to someone. Especially not someone that I care about like I do for Jean."

"Whatever," Josh said still glaring at him. "Just be warned that I'm watching you."

"Josh, that's not every friendly," Jean said annoyed at him again.

"Oh the contrary, I'm being an excellent friend right now," Josh said.

"I think he does have a point there," Matt agreed. "Now what was that about a doctor appointment."

"Oh great... you heard all that," Jean blushed.

"Obviously, you have thin walls and you were rather loud," Matt said kissing her quickly before whispering so only she could hear, "Though nowhere near as loud as you were last night."

"Right," Jean said blushing like a tomato. "Yeah, it's about the baby... do you want to come?"

"Absolutely," Matt smiled at her and then looked at Josh. He wasn't sure how he felt about the guy. Of course Jean had mentioned him on more than one occasions and he knew that Josh was important to her, but he wasn't expecting anyone quite this good looking. He really didn't want them to be that close, but it seem like they didn't have that kind of a relationship at all. However, there seem to be something about the guy that was familiar though he didn't know why.

"Oh sorry," Jean said noticing Matt's stare. "I've forgot to introduce you. Matt, this is my... er... best friend I guess, Josh Summers. Josh, this is my... er... boyfriend Matt Williams."

"Nice to meet you," Matt said with a goofy smiled, he really liked being called her boyfriend.

"Yeah," Josh said determined to be cautious around this guy even though it seems like he might really have genuine feeling for Jean (and that would really be a great thing to happen to his friend if that were true).

"I guess I should make some breakfast," Jean said as Matt sat in his seat. "And unlike you, I have things stocked in my fridge."

"Hey, it wasn't my turn to do the shopping," Matt pouted as he watch her get things out of the fridge and putting them on the counter.

"Normally I would warn you about eating something that Jean makes, but she's actually quite brilliant at making pancakes," Josh smirked. "Ow... what was that for!"

"For talking bad about my cooking," Jean glared at him (she had hit him on the head with her spatula). "Besides, you know that I like to add a hair of an idiot to my cooking to make it complete."

"Good thing it looks like you'll have any idiot to help you with that for a long time now," Josh smirked at Matt, who just smiled back at that (he would gladly take a few hits in the head to be able to be near Jean).

"This is bloody amazing," Matt said as soon as he had a bite of the pancakes. It was more this just the fact that they were better than any pancakes that he had before, but there was something just so familiar about them that made them so much better. "What's in these things?"

"A cook never reveals her secrets," Jean smirked at him, looking ecstatic that he did like them (Josh wasn't kidding about her cooking skill, this was all she knew how to make).

"So," Josh said after breakfast was done with and Jean was doing the dishes. He was looking at Matt, still with a critical eye but trying to be more lenient for Jean's sake. "Do you have any idea how this happened?"

"Er... what?" Matt said his head snapping to Josh, he was watching Jean with a smiled.

"About Jean being pregnant," Josh said rolling his eyes. "You did use a condom right?"

"Condom?" Matt said completely confused, what the hell were condoms and what did that have to do with Jean being pregnant.

"What?" Josh said looking angry again and Jean stared at him with an open mouth.

"Fuck!" Matt hissed, whatever it was it had to be one of those things that he didn't know about. One of those things everyone was supposed to know but he doesn't seem to have any idea about.

"Are you telling me that you didn't use any contraception?" Josh shouted.

"Of course I did," Matt snapped at him. "I said _Consto Semen-Inis..."_

"Words... you fucking said words and you thought that would do anything!" Josh shouted at him, besides himself with anger.

Jean eyes narrowed and she felt really weird. Josh was completely right, it was laughable to believe that mere words would stop anything, but that's not why she was feeling so weird. No she was feeling weird because she thought they would... when Matt had said them at the time and even right now when he told Josh... she had believe they would work. What the hell was that about?

"I... I... oh fuck," Matt muttered looking shocked. He had a good point there. Where the hell did he even come up with those words?

"I can't believe you did that... don't you know anything?" Josh hissed, he was starting to like this guy, but it was turning out that he was the biggest idiot on the planet.

"Er..." Matt said looking at Jean, and her confused look seem to make his mind up for him. He was going to have to tell her about his past... or his lack of past and hope that would be good enough for her. This wasn't the way that he imagined telling her, especially not with another guy setting across him but she needed to know. "Actually no."

"Well... er what?" Josh said ready to yell again but was caught off guard by Matt's reply.

"Er... I mean I know some things, but there's a lot that I don't," Matt groaned looking at the table sadly (he didn't have the nerve to look at her in case she reacted badly to this). "You see a little more than a year ago I lost my memory... and a lot..."

"What?" Jean said her head snapping to look at him, her eyes skeptically. "Are you trying to be funny?"

"Funny?" Matt head snapped to look at her and his eyes narrowed. "You think that's funny!"

"No I don't think it's funny at all," Jean said in a deathly whisper and glared at him. "How the hell could you joke about that?"

"I'm not fucking joking!" Matt shouted, he never for a second thought she would take it like this... if he was being honest he thought that she would have been supportive. "I tell you I lost my memory and you think that I'm joking!"

"Just stop..." Jean started to shout.

"Shut it, both of you," Josh said, he was sitting in his seat looking closely at Matt after that proclamation and something about it seem to ring true to him.

"Josh..." Jean glared at him, unbelievably hurt that Matt would bring up this subject so callously.

"He could be telling the truth... just listen to him," Josh said calmly, the longer that he looked at the other man the more familiar he looked.

"Could be telling the truth!" Matt hissed. "I am fucking telling the truth. On May 3 of last year I woke up in a bloody mess not knowing who the hell I was..."

"May 3, yeah like I'm going to believe that," Jean scoffed and looking more angry than every... what were the changes that she would met a guy that had lost his memory too; on the same day that she had?

"So I guess I'm just a fucking lair then... what the hell is your problem with that anyways!" Matt shouted at her.

"Jean think about it, how the hell would he know the day?" Josh said reasonably.

"He could have... he..." Jean said still angry but was starting to process what Josh was saying and he really had a point... how would he know the day that she lost her memory. She looked at Matt's eyes, eyes that she could read even easier than she could read any of her books, they were mostly angry but there was also hurt there. And the longer she looked at him the more she thought that the hurt was there because of the way that she was reacting. She sighed, how would she feel if she had been the one to tell him that she had lost her memories and he reacted like this. She would be crush and angry just like he was now.

"You don't have to fucking believe me... I don't give a shit anymore..." Matt said getting out of his chair, what was he supposed to do now, he couldn't leave (he didn't really want to leave anyway) but how was he supposed to stay there with someone that couldn't accept him.

"Don't swear," Jean said and his head snapped at her looking angry and was more than a little confused that she was suddenly smiling sadly at him. "I don't want the baby to be exposed to that."

"The baby is no bigger than my fist, it doesn't know what I'm saying," Matt said rolling his eyes, but he was feeling better, though he didn't understand why that was.

"I'm sorry," Jean said softly. "I reacted badly... it's just... I..."

"I'd say... what's that about?" Matt said and the pain was now forefront in his eyes.

"I don't know who I am either..." Jean said looking sadly in his eyes.

"What?" Matt said looking shocked as various emotions went through him. Could this be true... well it would explain why she reacted like that, he had half a mind to do the same things, and it also would explain why she didn't tell him much about her past the other night... she doesn't have one. He looked up to her eyes, she were watching him warily, and he smiled, "I see."

"You weren't joking, were you?" Jean asked in trepidation.

"No," Matt said. "And neither are you?"

"No," Jean smiled at him and he wrapped his arms around her. "And you really lost your memory on May 3?"

"Yeah," Matt said pulling away from her looking confused. "Why?"

"Because that's the day that Josh ran me over," Jean said, the edges of her mouth moving up in a smile.

"Hey," Josh said. "It's not fault that you ran into the street like a crazy person."

"It was the first day that I remember too," Jean said smirking at Josh and then looking back at Matt.

"That is weird... you don't think that we might have known each other?" Matt said blushing slightly. "I mean, I don't know about you but I feel more at peace when I'm with you."

"I feel that too," Jean smiled at him. "But I'm not sure..."

"It's really hard to say, maybe you should talk to Rachel about his..." Josh suggested.

"Rachel," Matt said looking at him. "That's where I saw you, you were waiting to see her when I was done with my session..."

"Oh... yeah," Josh said looking at him carefully, that did make sense.

"Why were you at Rachel's?" Jean asked Josh suspiciously.

"Er... I had a few question for her," Josh said not really looking her in the eye and Matt raised his eye at that, Josh had been in the waiting room more than once and if he wasn't mistaking there was something more going on there.

"Oh," Jean said looking like she didn't really believe that but otherwise let it go. When she turn back to face Matt, Josh shook his head trying to tell Matt not to say anymore on that subject. "Is there anymore that you have to say about that?"

"Not really, but I think that it's about time that we all head over to the hospitable," Matt said looking at his watch. "And It would probably be good if we go see Rachel together... I mean that might be useful..."

"That is a good idea," Jean again and they all left the flat heading for Josh's car.

"So you see Dr. Smith too?" Matt asked.

"Yeah, what happened to calling her Rachel," Jean smiled.

"Don't know," Matt shrugged. "I usually called her Rachel but sometimes it makes me uncomfortable."

"Hey... you never went to the group sessions..." Jean said frowning.

"Of course not, don't you think that it would be dead depressing listening to all the people that are going through all the hardships that you're going through. I mean I don't really want to deal with all that."

"I find it fascinated," Jean smiled.

"And has it help you in the least," Matt raised his eyebrows.

"Er... that's besides the point," Jean huffed. "Besides, if you went, you would have met me before now."

"Er... you have a good point with that one," Matt sighed. "That almost makes me wish I would have gone... but at least I know you now."

"Yeah," Jean smiled. "That is what's important isn't."

"Obviously," Matt smiled back. "Are you nervous about this doctor appointment?"

"No... it's just a check up," Jean smiled.

"Yeah, she could find out the sex of the baby but she doesn't want to rune the surprise," Josh said.

"You don't want to know?" Matt asked.

"Half the fun is being surprise... I supposed that you want to find out right away," Jean sighed.

"Not if you don't want to," Matt smiled at her. "I would never be able to keep that a secret... and I kind of like the idea of not knowing..."

"Argh, you were supposed to agree with me, and help be convince her to find out," Josh groaned.

"Sorry mate," Matt laughed.

The doctor appointment didn't take long and everything checked out perfectly and after that Josh dropped Matt and Jean off at her flat and they had a lot to still talk about (hopefully they would be able to get to that after the other things that they had plan for each other).

**A/N: I would just like to say that CMarisa was observant to notice what I did with the contraception spell. I just thought that Ron/Matt, seeing as he was raised as a Wizard, would fall back on using a spell in a situation like that. As to why it didn't work... let's just say he didn't have the right belief to make it work (I've always pictured this as a wandless spell). Anyway, I hope you liked it. **


	11. Investigation

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters.**

**Update 11/29/2010**

Chapter Eleven

Investigation

Harry was sitting at his desk doing some of paper work feeling tired but a little proud of himself at the same time. He still hasn't made much headway in finding Ron and Hermione, though he had sent missing people pictures to the Muggle polices (on the Grangers insistence). However, he did have a big hand in bring in one of the most vicious Death Eaters that were still out there and that just brought a smile to his face.

"What's got you in such a good mood?" Neville said walking into the office.

"You know what," Harry smiled at him. "How's you're arm?"

"Oh it's okay," Neville said, he had been hit by a curse during the raid, though it didn't stop him from backing Harry up when he needed him. "But the healer said that I shouldn't write anything for a while," Neville added with straight face.

"Don't worry Nev... I'm almost done with the paperwork," Harry chuckled. "Though I didn't realize I you would sink so low to get out of work like that."

"I was only joking," Neville smiled.

"There you are Potter... Longbottom," Jackson said, one of the Aurors that had worked there for years. "I've been looking all over for you."

"Well, I've been in my office since I've gotten back so..." Harry said innocently.

"Don't give me lip," Jackson said looking anger and a little embarrassed. "Not when I think I can give you something that you've been really looking for since you got here."

"And what is that?" Harry said raising his eyebrow, trying not to let his hopes get up.

"I don't really know," Jackson frowned. "It might be nothing... but I was there when you brought Nott in."

"And?" Harry said because Jackson stopped talking.

"Well, you know that I'm a pretty good at... er... feeling what others are feeling," Jackson said, in a whisper.

"Yeah," Harry said. "That's why you're so good at investigation... but I also know that you're not supposed to used that... er... gift outside of that room."

"Yeah, well I try not to, but somethings I slip," Jackson whispered.

"What do you have to say?" Harry frowned.

"Nothing really, it's just... Nott was happy when he saw you," Jackson said. "And not in a good way... in a way like he thought he was better than you... or that he had something over you."

"Really," Harry said and looked at Neville, who looked thoughtful. "What do you think?"

"I think we need to talk to him," Neville said.

"That's what I thought you would said, so I kept him in the interrogation room," Jackson said. "But you have to be careful with this one... he's clever, and he's not about to give up anything without a fight."

"Thanks Jackson, we'll be there in a few minutes," Harry said.

"So how are we going to handle this Harry?" Neville said.

"I'm not sure," Harry said. "We don't know if he actually knows anything..."

Neville looked at Harry thoughtfully for a moment before stating, "You don't believe that."

"No, I really don't," Harry said. "I think this might just be the break we've been looking for."

"Good," Neville said and repeated, "so, how do we handle this?"

"Going all out of course, but don't let him know that we still don't know anything," Harry said.

"And how are we supposed to do that?" Neville said.

"Don't know, but just follow my lead," Harry sighed. "Come on, lets go."

They then found their way to the interrogation room where Nott was sitting looking bored. Harry walked in the room with all the confidence he could mustard and looked at him calculating. "So is there anything you would like to say before we get started."

"No," Nott said in a bored voice.

"Fine then, I guess it's my turn to tell you what I know," Harry said looking at him calmly, he's eyes cold. Nott just looked back at him just as bored as before.

"I know that you were the one that took Ron and Hermione," Harry said looking into his eyes, there was the tiniest of reactions but Nott was quite good at hiding his emotions.

"You think I took your Mudblood and Blood traitor!" Nott scoffed.

"There's no point in denying it," Harry said coolly, he wasn't going to get anything out of Nott like this, though he didn't know if there was even something to get from him. However, something was telling him that he was right about this, the same thing that told him he was right about Ron and Hermione being in the Muggle world. He stared in Nott eyes, trying to see if he would give anything away but there really wasn't anything there for Harry to read. So he would have to bluff, try and make it seem like they indeed had proof already. "I already know that you were the one that took them. I know that you have erased their memories. And I know that you have let them loss in the Muggle world."

"I'm sure you do," Nott scoffed sounding just as bore as he had when they first got there. But Harry could see the effort that he was now putting in to keep calm, he saw the flash of emotion that was quickly squashed by his indifferent expression.

"I do," Harry said glaring now; Nott was calling his bluff and he really didn't have anything to back this up with. No, but that didn't mean that he couldn't make something up in hopes that it would help. However, nothing came to him, no innovations that told him what to say. The only thing that he could think of that might make Nott talk was telling him that others had told him this, but that was a risky move, he was going to have to pick someone that Nott used or it would all go to hell. "We picked up Fenrir Greyback a few weeks back... he was rather chatty."

"Oh," Nott said and his expression was still bore but he looked more tense now.

"Yes," Harry smirked, looking straight into Nott's eyes with a cold fury. "He told us plenty of useful things... Though I'm still confused as to why you would trust the wolf... He had no tolerance and sing with the tiniest threat..."

Nott frowned more pronounced and he was now glaring at Harry.

"What's the matter Nott... a little upset about that," Harry smirked.

"I knew I shouldn't have trusted that mutt," Nott hissed. "Though I supposed it did give me something I wasn't expecting."

"What's that?" Harry said.

"A chance to gloat," Nott said suddenly smiling. "I knew that this day was coming but it doesn't change what I did. And I think I'm going to like the look on your face."

Harry just looked at him trying to keep his expression emotionless, knowing very well that he was never good at controlling his emotions.

"It was so easy to take you out, I was rather disappointed," Nott continued staring at Harry. "I was very tempted to just kill you... it would have been so easy, but that was too good for you. No I wanted you to suffer for what you did."

"And what was that?" Harry asked in a cold voice, as he gritted his teeth. He was the one that went through the most horrendous childhood and then an adolescence where he constantly had to fight and lost more good people than he care to list, what had he ever done to deserve this?

"You ruined everything!" Nott said incredulously. "We were on the brink of controlling the entire country and then you came along and ruin everything..."

"Sorry, but I believe that Riddle was the one that really ruined everything," Neville scoffed. "He got too caught up in his obsessions to actually do anything worthwhile."

"The dark lord was a great man and you all deserved torture for what you did to him!" Nott glared at Neville. "My only regret is that I only was able to get the Mudblood and Blood traitor! Oh how I wish I could have gotten your slag too..." he added smirking as Harry made a lunged at him.

"Let me at him," Harry said beside himself in angry, but at the same time knowing that this would make Nott talk more anyway (good thing too, because Harry really wasn't going to be able to control this reaction).

"Calm down Harry," Neville said as he pulled his friend away for the chained prisoner.

"I've been watching you closely Potter," Nott said with a smirk. "How you've struggled over the lost of your friends by trying to find them, that is when you weren't hiding at the Blood traitors house. How you wasted months going to all those Death Eater hideouts in hopes you'll find your friends. And then..." Nott said not really knowing what Harry has been doing the last few months.

"How I figured out that they weren't at any Death Eater house, or stronghold, but out in the Muggle world," Harry hissed glaring at Nott. "Didn't think that I could figure that one out on my own did you."

"It's more than I thought you were capable of doing," Nott shrugged. "But that's not going to help you in the end. Nothing is going to help, because even with you knowing that, you will never find them."

"Yes I will," Harry said his eyes determined, he would find them no matter how long it took him to do it.

"Really?" Nott smirked, his eyes where doubting Harry with every fiber of his being, but that's not all, they were laughing at him, taking in the torture that he was causing Harry. This was all worth it, seeing Harry reacting like this was worth whatever was going to be done to him for this and other crimes he had commented. "Would you like to hear more about them then... perhaps it might help you."

Harry looking at Nott coldly, though inside he was almost afraid to hear what he had to say, knowing that it wasn't going to be something he'd like, but he couldn't not listen in case in was important.

"The mutt might have been a useless thug, but he does have some advantages," Nott smirked. "He really wanted to have his why with that Mudblood (at those words both Harry and Neville shifted and looked revolted), don't worry boys he only gave the piece of scum a few scratches... no the Blood Traitor defended her with such virtue that the mutt never really had the chance to lay more than a finger on her.

"You may think that I was being too kind to the Mudblood, letting her escape the torture of the wolf," Nott said his eyes boring into Harry's. "But if you could have hear her screams every time the Blood Traitor was hit... you would have know it was much worse this way. What was it Lestrange said... ah yes... That sometimes it worse to watch someone else get tortured... at least for you fools that love.

"I can definitely see what he meant... don't you Potter?" Nott laughed.

"You will not win this," Harry hissed into Nott's face and left the room.

"You really think that it's torture for them to be in the Muggle world?" Neville scoffed as he turn back to Nott from the door and glared at him.

"Don't delude yourself Longbottom, you would never survive the Muggle world," Nott smirked. "Even if they find some sense of anything, they still would have lost everything that the were... not to mention that living in that tedium of life without magic... yes... it's torture."

"You're a fool," Neville said simply and then left the room to find Harry, who was just walking out of the observation room and he could tell from Harry face that Jackson was listening and knew everything that was said in that room with true.

"Harry," Neville said in trepidation.

"I just need a moment," Harry said fuming as he glare into space as his mind worked a mile a minute. "You don't have to leave, just..."

"Yeah I get it," Neville said taking his seat and started to think about everything that had happened in the last hour.

"So," Harry said an hour later, he was still fuming but he couldn't take the silence anymore. "What's our next move?"

"I don't know Harry... that didn't really tell us anything, expect that we were right and they are in the Muggle world," Neville sighed. "Why didn't you asked him where he left Ron and Hermione at?"

"I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of hearing me ask," Harry hissed. "He never would have told us that and he's an accomplished Occlumenist."

"Do you think that his son might know where Nott would take them?" Neville asked.

"I don't know," Harry said. "But it's worth a try."

"Okay, you should go down there, I'll talk to Greyback," Neville spat out the name with pure venom.

"You know that we're supposed to go as a team when investigating a crime like this," Harry said.

"Theodore Nott isn't going to try anything with you," Neville said. "And I don't trust you near another vicious Death Eater with the state you're in now."

"That's true," Harry said, he could honesty see himself cursing Greyback on sight (like he wanted to curse Nott) and that wouldn't be good. "But aren't you about to explode too?"

"Yeah," Neville chuckled. "I'll go with Jackson or someone to make sure I don't do anything stupid."

"Fine," Harry said getting up. "I'll see you later... why don't you come back to the Burrow for dinner and we'll discuss it there."

"Right," Neville said and they both went their separate ways.

It was only twenty minutes later that Harry had found himself in front of Nott's house knocking at the door. As soon as the tall, thin looking, boy, who was the same age as Harry, open the door Harry couldn't help but glare at him... he looked too much like his father.

"What do you want?" Theodore said caught off guard as to why Harry Potter would be knocking at his door.

"We just arrested your father today," Harry said.

"Good," Theodore replied.

"Hmph," Harry said, though he really hated Nott, almost as much as he hated Voldemort and Bellatrix, he just couldn't imagine a son saying that about their father, though truth be told he didn't really know much about Theodore Nott and his relationship with his dad.

"Is that all, or do you have questions for me?" Theodore asked coldly.

"I have a few questions... could I come in," Harry said and Theodore sighed and let him come in. He lead Harry to a sitting area that was decorated lavishly.

"Sorry about the room... I haven't been able to change it," Theodore said. "Though that will change once father has been convicted."

"Is that why you're so happy?" Harry said unable to stop himself.

"Part of the reason," Theodore admitted. "But the main reason is because now I don't have to watch over my shoulder so much."

Harry didn't say anything to that, but raised his eyebrow.

"My dad and I haven't seen eye to eye on many things over the last few year," Theodore said. "In fact I can't remember the last time that we agreed upon anything. But it wasn't until the final battle that dad..."

"That's right... you fought on our side," Harry said, he tried not to think about that day as much as possible though he still has nightmares and times when he just can't help but think of that (and when he does it's never about details like this). However, he was curious why Theodore Nott, a Slytherin (though one that never caused Harry any trouble and just stayed to himself), would fight with them.

"Everyone ask me that," Theodore sighed.

"What?" Harry asked narrowing his eyes.

"Why I fought on your side," Theodore said and Harry frowned more predominantly; he hadn't asked that. "And I didn't read you mind... though it looks like that's not really that hard to do... I could just see were this conversation was heading. You know, with everyone asking me that."

"So why did you?" Harry said rolling his eyes. "Did you think we were going to win or something?"

"Actually I was pretty sure you were going to loss," Theodore chuckled. "No offense but Voldemort was seriously powerful."

"I know... I didn't think I stood a chance either," Harry almost smiled until he thought of the reason why he could even get there at all and that they were no longer with him right now.

"Honesty, the reason why I fought on your side was because there wouldn't have been much of a future for me if Voldemort would have one," Theodore sighed. "I could have survive and found a good enough job... but it seem like a tendentious life to me."

"Ah, so you still embraced you Slytherin selfishness," Harry said smirking at Theodore, who just rolled his eyes.

"Better than being courageous git that risk his life on a daily basis," Theodore snapped back. "Look I have nothing against Muggle-borns and the propaganda the Death Eaters sent out the last year really just pissed me off, didn't they realize how ridiculous that stealing magic theory was... how weak that it made them seem."

"Okay, I get it," Harry sighed. "I really don't want to talk about that."

"Fine," Theodore said. "I just used to having to defend myself about this all the time. What do you want?"

"You know about Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger disappearance right?" Harry said jumping right into it.

Theodore's only reaction to that was rolling his eyes.

"Sorry," Harry said, that topic has been in the paper since they been taken (though not as much as it was during the first month after the final battle). "It turns out that your father was the one that took them."

Theodore's eyes got hard at that and he let out a breath. "I haven't seen my father since the final battle..."

"I didn't think you would have," Harry said. "I was just wondering if you had any ideas on a place that he would take them to. A place in the Muggle world."

"Muggle world?" Theodore questioned.

"Yeah," Harry sighed, he was really hoping for a better reaction than that. "He erased their memories and left them in the Muggle world."

"Well if there was one thing that you can said about that man it's that he's a ruthless tactician," Theodore said. "I can see why you would want to know that. If you knew where they started at it would be easier to track them down, but I'm sorry I can't think of anyplace like that."

"No where that's even close to Muggle village or town," Harry said desperately.

"Look, I'll write a list of everyplace that I know of," Theodore stood up and got some parchment and a quill. As he wrote the names of all the places he's knew of he said, "But Father probably figured that I would be a liability and wouldn't have taken them anywhere near these places."

"So basically you think this is useless," Harry said taking the list and looking them over.

"Pretty much," Theodore said. "I'm sorry I couldn't help any more... and I'm sorry about your friends."

"Thanks anyway," Harry said leaving the house. "Oh and you're all right... for a Slytherin."

"Oh such high praise from the boy wonder... I just so ecstatic," Theodore rolled his eyes.

Harry chuckled as the door closed and he Apparated to the Burrows.

O

"I was starting to get worried about you Harry," Molly said as Harry walked into the house. "Dinner is almost ready."

"Good, I'm starving," Harry said and upon noticing that only Ginny and Arthur was at the table he added. "Neville coming over if that's okay."

"Of course it's okay," Molly said. "How many times do I have to tell you, he's welcomed any time?"

"Seeing as he didn't send you an owl this time, I think he might have finally gotten the message," Ginny said before Harry lead down to give her a kiss.

"How was you're day love?" Harry asked, knowing very well that as soon as Neville came their news will dominate the conversation.

"It was all right," Ginny smiled. "We're still doing light training, mostly weight lifting... but we finally got on our brooms today."

"Do I sense a little impatience there?" Harry laughed, about a month ago Ginny tried out and got the position as Chaser for the Holyhead Harpies (the team she idolized as a girl).

"Maybe a little," Ginny smiled. "And according to everyone else on the team it's a rookie thing, after the season is over I'm going to be so sick of a broom that I'll be happy to stay on the ground as long as I can."

"Well I don't see that one happening to you," Harry chuckled as he pulled the delicious food in front of him and dug in.

"Me neither, but I guess we'll see when the time comes," Ginny shrugged as they heard a pop from outside.

"Hey," Neville said a little shyly as he walked into the Weasley kitchen.

"Hello Neville, pull up a chair and dig in," Arthur said smiling and Neville did just that.

"I hear that you two helped bring in Nott," Arthur said after everyone finished eating, he knew there must be a reason why Neville would have come to dinner; and more importantly that he didn't come when Harry did.

"Yeah," Harry said his eyes suddenly hard, and he didn't really know how to said this.

"He's the one that took th... er... Ron and Hermione," Neville said.

"What?" all three Weasley said and each of their eyes became hard too.

"Tell me you hurt that bastard," Ginny spat.

"Ginny!" Molly reprimanded weakly (she could help but be a mother).

"Sorry," Harry sighed. "He went down in a fight... but he didn't get hurt seriously..." he said looking like he too wish that it could have been more than that.

"I think we should change that," Ginny hissed; she should go and see George about this.

"You will do no such thing!" Harry said sharply.

"You..." Ginny said glaring at him fiercely; how dare he talk to her like that! And about something like this!

"Gin, you can't do anything against him now," Harry said. "It's against the law. He'll go to Azkaban, that's all we can do."

"He deserve to suffer more then that!" Ginny said still besides herself in anger.

"I agree," Harry said his eyes ablaze. "But if we do anything about like that, we'd be just like them... I won't abuse my position like that."

"Harry," Ginny groaned.

"I'm sorry Gin," Harry sighed. "I just can't do it."

"It's okay love," Ginny said wrapping her arms around him. "It's part of the reasons why I love you."

"Anyways," Neville said more than a little uncomfortable. "We found out that Harry was right... they're in the Muggle world and don't have any of their memories."

"There's worse places they could be," Arthur said to his wife, who he had been holding since Neville had told them about Nott.

"I know," Molly said silently crying in her husband shoulder. "It's just... my poor baby... he won't know anything about that world..."

"I know," Arthur sighed, stroking his wife's hair absentmindedly. "But for all you know he could be living a happy life out there. And when we gets him back he'll have tons of stories to tell us... he'll know so much about Muggles..."

"Arthur," Molly said slapping her husband, who even in this brings up his Muggle obsession, but she smiled all the same. "I hope you're right."

"So did you find anything out with Greyback?" Harry asked Neville.

"Nothing important," Neville said his face was dark and he almost looked sick. "Just more details about... (he gave Harry as significant look). He didn't have any idea where Nott left them. How about you?"

"Theodore gave me a list of places but he doesn't think that his father would have taken them there," Harry sighed.

They keep talking about this, and what they should do next for the rest of the night, until it was time for bed. After saying goodnight to Neville, Harry and Ginny made their way upstairs where they stopped at Ginny's door and enjoyed a good snog.

"We really need to get our own place," Ginny groaned after Harry pulled away.

"I know," Harry said. "Do you think your parent could handle it yet?"

"It really is no wonder why you're mum's favorite, always thinking about others like that," Ginny said rolling her eyes. "But, honesty Harry... I think it's time and I think they'll understand that."

"That's good enough for me," Harry said kissing her one last time. "Lets look for a place this weekend... I think that's the only time you'll have for awhile, after all."

"Do you really think we'll find a place in one day?" Ginny scoffed.

"I'm the chosen boy that lived and I'm willing to pay anything," Harry shrugged his shoulder. "And is willing to live in anyplace that you like... Hopefully it shouldn't be that difficult."

"Hopeful," Ginny said giggled and gave him the look that she knew drove him crazy.

"Evil, you're pure evil," Harry groaned as she closed the door in his face and he sulked off to his room.


	12. New Relationship

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters.**

**A/N: I had some trouble coming out with this and I'm having a sort of writers block on this story (I know what is going to happen but I don't know how to say it). I've also caught up with myself, so I'm not going to update as much as I have in the past, but like I said I'm going to update once a week. Oh, I would just like to add my thanks to xxlov3m3x3xx, who beta this story. **

**Update 11/29/2010**

Chapter Twelve

New Relationship

"So are you nervous at all about this?" Matt said they were in the waiting room of Dr. Smith on Monday morning. Jean went to all night classes so that she could work a normal shift at the law firm and Matt only goes to classes on Thursday and Friday nights (he did have to switch one of his shift to be here, but it wasn't so bad).

"Why would I be nervous?" Jean asked, suddenly looking nervous.

"I don't know," he said.

"Are you nervous?" she sighed and looked him over.

"Yes," he admitted. "Rachael is just about the only person I can talk openly to, obviously you're the other one... Not to mention I kind of talked about you a lot over the last few months," he added blushing.

"I talked about you too," she smiled at him.

"I don't know if that makes me more or less nervous," he chuckled but before he could say anymore they were called into the office.

"Jean, it's good to see... er... Matt?" Rachael said looking highly confused as they walked in.

"I knew we should have called you," Jean sighed and Matt chuckled.

"No, Josh was right... that was brilliant," Matt laughed.

"Gits, I've surrounded myself with gits," Jean groaned.

"Er... may I ask why you're here Matt?" Rachael said as she watched the two interact together.

"Well you know that girl that I've been talking about..." Matt said smiling at Jean.

"And the guy that I've mentioned..." Jean smiled back at him.

"I see," Rachael said almost smiling but she looked at them with trepidation too. "Okay then, take a seat and tell me what happened."

"Always looking for the hottest gossip," Matt said sitting next to Jean smirking broadly.

"Matt!" Jean said slapping him. "Don't be rude."

"Sorry," Matt said smiling.

"Well, I must say that you both look a lot happier than the last time I've seen you," Rachael commented.

"Obviously," Matt said. "The last time you saw me I was missing my heart... but I think I've found it."

"And despite the corny things he says, I'm still happy I've found him again," Jean smirked.

"You know you love the corny things I say," Matt pouted.

"Yes... but not as much when we have company," Jean said inclining her head towards Rachael, who was smiling at the way the two of them communicated.

"Right," Matt blushed.

"Seriously don't mind me," Rachael smirked at Matt, knowing it would only make him more uncomfortable.

"Okay here's the story," Jean said noticing Matt's discomfort and taking pity on him. She spent the next fifteen minutes skimming through the last three months, though going into more details about what happened since last Friday when they met again. "... and then Matt told me about how he lost his memories too..."

"And she reacted really badly... thinking I was taking the mickey out of her," Matt said, he was still red because Jean unabashedly told Rachael about his slip with the contraception.

"Well yes, I would think anyone in Jean's situation would have reacted badly," Rachael said. "I just think it's a good thing you weren't the one to be told that. I shudder to think what would have happened then."

"I wouldn't have reacted badly," Matt pouted.

"Sure you wouldn't," Rachael teased. "You would explode and then you would walk away in a huff..."

"I can see that happening," Jean said and Matt made a face at her. "But I really was no better."

"Thanks, Mine," Matt said rolling his eyes but he was smiling.

"I would appreciate it if you didn't call me that in public," Jean said blushing fiercely.

"Sorry," Matt smirked but decided that he would like to say that at any time.

"Anyways, that's was basically what happened," Jean said still blushing.

"Okay, I see," Rachael said. "I'm just wondering...why you brought this to me."

"Gee thanks Rachael, that makes me feel so much better," Matt rolled his eyes.

"Sorry," Rachael said. "But you know that I deal with memory loss..."

"Well, I did have some questions about that," Jean said.

"Yeah," Matt said. "It seems like there are a few things that Jean and I have in common... like the day we lost our memories for example... the fact that we were both in the same hospital."

"Yeah I know that," Rachael said. "I met you both the same day in fact. And look Matt... It's not exactly common that two people would loss their memories in the same day, but that doesn't mean that you knew each other before."

"There are other things," Jean said. "I don't know what it is, but I feel close to him... like it was natural to be around him."

"Me too, and you know how closed off I am," Matt said.

"That's true," Rachael said thoughtfully. Neither Matt nor Jean were people that opened up easily, and she could see that they both were much more natural with each other than she had seen either of them before (even when she saw Josh and Jean interact together, it was different than this). "I'll tell you what I'll do, I'll look further into both of you're medical cases... er... I think I'll probably have to get your signatures for that, and see if there is anything that links you together. But don't get you're hopes up... even though there are similarities and/or things that seem to bind you together, that doesn't necessarily mean that you knew each other before."

"Right," Matt sighed.

"And... there is something else that I would like to caution you about," Rachael said looking really sad all of a sudden, "I just have to say that it's difficult for anyone that has memory loss to be in a relationship... it's difficult for all parties involved."

"Are you saying that we shouldn't be involved with each other?" Matt said looking mad.

"Of course she's not saying that," Jean sighed, "She's just telling us that it is going to be difficult and if you came to any of our group meetings you would have known that."

"More reason to stay away," Matt muttered still looking upset. "What do you mean for all parties involved?"

"That's hard to explain," Rachael frowned. "In some ways the fact that the two of you both lost your memories is actually an advantage. You'll know exactly how the other feels not knowing your own past; you can sympathize with each other like no one else ever could. However, it also means that you two have twice the chance of things becoming... messy if either or both of you remember your past. I have seen it time and time again, the struggle people go through when they try to transform from who they had been before back to who they've became…and it might be difficult for you both."

"Hm... I didn't think of that," Matt frowned, what if Jean had a whole other life that he didn't have a place in, how would he survive that?

"I knew this would be difficult," Jean said, who had known of this danger for a while now, but she also knew that she wouldn't let that rule her life. However, as she looked at Matt pondering the situation, she couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking and about all the people that could be in his past that might push her right out of his mind. "But being with Matt... It's worth anything that might come later."

Matt then looked at her smiling brightly, "I couldn't agree with you more."

"I'm glad to hear that, you two make an excellent couple," Rachael smiled too. "Er... do you have any other questions."

"Yeah, I have one," Jean said. "Why was Josh here?"

"Josh," Rachael's eyes went wide and she started to blushed.

"Yeah, Matt said that he's seen him here... why was that?" Jean narrowed her eyes as she watched the other girl turn bright red.

"Er... I... I think you should talk about that with Josh?" Rachael said and Matt started to chuckle.

Jean frowned. "You're his girlfriend, aren't you?"

"Er..." Rachael blushed even more and then sighed. "He wanted to be the one to tell you that."

"Well he's had plenty of time," Jean sighed. "Why didn't he tell me? It's not like I'm not going to like you or something..."

"He thought it would be odd, you know with you telling me about..." Rachael said but stopped when she saw that Jean was now looking mortified. "Please don't take this like that Jean...

"Oh god... I told you so much about..." Jean said starting to shake, so Matt, who was laughing until now, walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Sh... you know that she couldn't tell anyone about it..." Matt soothed her and she smiled in his chest.

"You're right," Jean sighed. "But it's still weird."

"I know, I'm sorry," Rachael said. "And I would understand if you don't feel comfortable coming to me any more..."

"No," Jean said. "I don't think I could talk to anyone else."

"Good," Rachael smiled. "Then I'll see you in two weeks. And I'll see you on Wednesday Matt."

"Yeah, and I'm sure I'll have tons to talk about," Matt said and they got up and left.

O

It was four days later and Jean and Matt had returned from their class and ended up exactly where they had the first night. "Man, that was bloody incredible," Matt said as he laid down on his back and she rested her head on his chest smiling widely. "You are the most incredible person that I've ever met."

"You not so bad yourself, Mathew," she said as she leaned up to give him a quick kiss.

"Aaahhh..." he groaned. "You're the only one that calls me that you know... I like when you call me that, especially when you do that in... er... a louder voice," he added waggling his eyebrows.

"Matt!" she exclaimed blushing.

"Though, I have to admit that just hearing it seems to turn me on, so it would probably be good if you didn't do it in public," he chuckled.

"Now, see, you probably shouldn't have told me that," she said with an evil smirk as she kissed his jaw, moving to his ear. "That just makes me want to do it Mathew..." she hissed in his ear and he felt a shiver go through him.

"Fine then, I'll just have to call you Mine all the time," he hissed back as he rubbed her arse.

"You're in incorrigible," she laughed looking at him both annoyed and turned on and he just chuckled at that.

"Marry me," he said without thinking, that's not to say that he hadn't been thinking about this for the week that he knew that he was going to be a father soon, he just didn't think that he would blurt it out like that. Still, as he watched his girlfriend look at him with a shocked face, he knew that he wanted to be with this girl for the rest of his life.

"No," she said frowning and he felt a pain in his heart at her rejection. "Matt, I don't want to marry someone just because I'm pregnant," she added quickly upon seeing his hurt expression.

"That's not why..." he started, but she put a finger to his mouth to stop him.

"I want to marry someone because of love," she said looking into his eyes smiling sadly. "But I have an..."

"If I understand correctly, you love someone when you cannot live without them," he said moving them so that he was lying on top of her. "You feel horrible when they're not around and all it takes is a simple look to make your heart pound in your chest. Mine, I don't know about you, but my life started when I met you," he said softly but looking determinedly in her eyes. "I love you."

He didn't give her any time to think about it, he kissed her soundly after that, kissed her with a passion that was always there, but this time, with his confession it just seem so much more. She was breathing heavily when they broke apart.

"Matt," she whispered, a smile on her face, she had been feeling this way for so long that it was nice to finally be able to tell him. "I love you, too."

"Good," he smiled. "So then we could get married..."

"No," she sighed and hated to see his face fall when she said that.

"But..." he said.

"I sorry... I'm just not ready for that," she said. "And I know... this is still about the baby..."

"But I want to marry to you..." he said suddenly looking angry.

"But you wouldn't have been asking me after a week of being together," she said looking angrily back at him. "You can't deny that this is going a lot faster than it normally would..."

"So," he said rolling his eyes. "Mine, you can't change the fact, that in about five months you're going to have a baby..."

"Hmph," she huffed glaring at him.

"Things can't ever be normal between us," he pressed on like he didn't notice how fuming she was. "But I love you Mine, and I want to marry you..."

"I'm not ready for that," she said looking away from him sadly, she didn't want them to move too fast and then have him resent her for this later. She knew he meant what he said, she could see that, but that doesn't mean that it would be true in a year. She looked back at him, he was looking sadly at her and yet she could still see in his eyes everything that he thought about her, and part of her knew (the same part of her that was mourning over him those months that he wasn't there) that he wasn't ever going to change his mind. Still, she wasn't ready for that yet. "I do have another suggestion for us."

"And what's that?" he said trying not to look too sad.

"I could move in with you," She said as she sat up and pushed him so that now she was lying on top of him. "You know that I'm about to move in with Josh because I really can't afford this place, but if we moved..."

"Gee, how romantic," he said his eyes hardening for a second.

"If you don't want me..." she said biting her lower lip.

"Of course I want you," he sighed. "It just... it's so practical... I..."

"Oh Mathew," she sighed and then smiled sweetly. "I want to live you, don't you see how perfect this will be? We can move in together and learn all of the little quirks that make each other tick. I could wake up in your arms every morning, oh how I love waking up in your arms. And your house is perfect for us; it's not that expensive and you already have a room for the baby. I can already see all the things that I want to put up in there. And it's really close to school so I can walk there and it's even a little closer to my work, so that's nice too..."

"You do paint a nice picture there," he said laughing, he could see in her eyes the love she had for him, and that she wanted what he did. "Though you know we could do all that if you were to marry me too."

"Matt," she giggled and slapped him.

"Sorry," he said chuckling. "I can't help myself, I love it when you look all annoyed like that, especially when you have that smirk."

"You're impossible," she laughed again.

"But that's why you love me," he laughed too.

"Hmm..." she said as she kissed him. "I can think of another reason too."

"Oh? Why don't you tell me the other reasons," he said as she continued to kiss him.

"I was thinking more of showing you... but if you want..." she started.

"No... I'd like for you to show me," he groaned and he could feel her smirk as she kissed his neck. He sighed contently as he was able to think about the picture that she had painted for him and how much he wanted that; though he really did think that it would be better if she would just agree to marry him, he would take her however he got her, and soon she'll see that she really wants him like that too. Of course, those thoughts didn't stay in his head long as she started kissing down his body, all he could think of is what this amazing girl was making him feel.


	13. Living Together

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters.**

**Update 11/29/2010**

Chapter Thirteen

Living Together

The next day Jean, not wanting to wait a moment longer, woke them up early and started packing up her stuff, not carrying how much Matt groaned about it. At noon, Josh showed up because he was supposed to be having lunch with them (he hadn't talked to them since last Saturday) and was quite surprised to see all the boxes in the living room.

"What's going on here?" Josh asked. "You know you have two more weeks on your lease... you don't have to pack yet."

"I know," Jean said narrowing her eyes as he walked into the living room. "But I can't wait to move in..."

"Er, I'm not really ready for that yet," Josh said completely confused by the cold look he was getting.

"I'm not moving in with you," Jean said coldly.

"Er... what did I do?" Josh asked looking sadly at Jean's back (she had turn on him and started packing again) as Matt chuckled from the kitchen, putting the food that Josh had brought with him on the counter as he got plates and forks out.

"You..." Jean said standing up and then poking him in the chest. "You didn't tell me that you were going out with Rachael. What the hell is that about?"

"Oh," Josh said paling completely caught off guard by that (Rachael hadn't given him a heads up despite the fact that he seen her the other night). He then turned to Matt who was laughing even harder at the face that he was making. "You ratted me out didn't you," he added glaring at the other guy.

"Of course not," Matt smirked. "You knew that we were seeing Rachael on Monday... you should have figured out that Mine would put it together."

"That's enough from you," Jean glared at her boyfriend now. "I'm already mad enough at you for not telling me this sooner and you should know better than adding that name to this Mathew."

"Well, none of that's going to make me stop," Matt smirked at her, already turned on by all the anger she was showing him, her saying his name like that just made him want her even more.

"Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you," Josh said uncomfortably as he watch the two of them look at each other with barely concealed lust. "I..."

"Just wanted me to make a fool of myself in front of your girlfriend!" Jean snapped her head to look at him.

"You didn't make a fool of yourself," Josh rolled his eyes. "And you must talk about me a lot if you think that."

"Don't flatter yourself," Jean huffed. "I was mainly talking about the time that I tried to kiss you..."

"You tried to kiss him!" Matt exclaimed and he was no longer laughing but looked really shocked.

"It wasn't like that," Jean rolled her eyes at him, Matt looked both depressed and angry about that. "I was three months pregnant, feeling pretty sorry for myself, and really er... um..."

"Horny," Josh smirked.

"Shut up," Jean blushed. "I can't believe that you just let me go in there... and I told her all this... what she must have thought of me..."

"Jean, relax," Josh sighed. "I told her about that before you got the chance to talk to her. And she never thought bad of you for it. She never thought that anything like that would ever happen between us no matter what because she agrees with you. I've build you up in my head as a little sister figure and that's never going to change for me... er... at least in the way that I look at you, I will be trying to treat you like a friend..."

"Great, so you do talk about me," Jean sighed.

"Well yeah, you are one of the most important people in my life," Josh smiled at her. "But it's not like she tells me anything that goes on in your session or anything. She was just telling me how I was feeling... it wasn't..."

"Why didn't you tell me this Josh?" Jean cut him off, he was starting to ramble.

"I though you might be uncomfortable with it," Josh sighed. "I thought that you might not want to see Rachael anymore and I knew how important it was for you to see her."

"Just how long has this been going on?" Jean asked raising her eyebrow.

"Er... a while," Josh said and Jean narrowed her eyes dangerously. "Okay, for almost eight months now."

"Cut the man some slack Mine," Matt said sitting down at the table with his food.

"I'll try," Jean said blushing again at the name but didn't bother complaining about it... he was never going to stop calling her that in public. As she looked over to him happily eating his food, she just had to smile, though she knew she should be annoyed at him with his less than courteous attitude, she just couldn't help but be happy when she saw how happy he was.

"Look, I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about Rachael, but that's no reason to not move in with me," Josh said looking pleadingly at her.

"That's not why I'm not moving in with you," Jean smiled. "I'm moving in with Matt."

"Oh," Josh said. "Er... isn't moving in with a bloke a week after you started dating him a little fast?"

"Not as as fast as marrying him is," Jean smirked.

"Oi," Matt made a face at her, she didn't only say that but she also took some of the food that was on his plate. He then made a show of guarding his food as he said. "That's not going stop me from wanting that... I don't care how fast it is."

"Besides, Matt's place is perfect," Jean said still chuckling at his behavior as she went in the kitchen to get her own food. "Plus, I didn't really like the fact that I (and the little guy when the baby is born) were going to be bothering you so much. And I know that you said you didn't mind, but it really was a big imposition I was going to be putting you through..."

"You keep forgetting the most important part of this move love," Matt said, hoping indeed it was true.

"And what would that be?" Jean smiled, knowing full well what he was going to say next.

"That you really want to move in with me," Matt said.

"Oh that," Jean said waving her hand at him playfully, as she smirked. "Nah, that's not that important."

"You're mean," Matt pouted.

"You know you love me," Jean smirked as she kissed him briefly before sitting down.

"Yeah," Matt smiled at her.

O

Over the next few months Matt and Jean learned how difficult it was to live together. Jean's biggest problem with Matt was that he was a lazy git that just left his stuff wherever he felt, no matter how many times she told him, or rather, yelled at him, to pick up after himself. Matt, on the other hand, was finding her more nagging and bossy than he thought she would be, she always seemed to be yelling at him for something. It was also hard for them because they hardly had time to see one another seeing as they both had to work full time as well as going to school. However, none of this stopped them from being happier now than they have ever been in their life, and the benefits of living together outweighed the drawbacks any day.

It was lucky that when they discovered that Matt was pretty good in the kitchen, or at least good enough that he could make dinner and they didn't always have to get take away (which Jean complained wasn't healthy and too expensive; they needed to save every penny they earned for when the baby comes). However, Jean was still planning on taking cooking lessons after the baby came and she knew that she couldn't go back to school for at least a semester (which both Matt and Josh made clear that was all that she was going to miss even if they had to force her to go to school). It was also lucky that Matt still worked on campus and they could do most of their shopping there, saving as much money as possible.

It was now Christmas night, almost the next morning, and they had made it through the holidays without too much drama. They had gone over to Josh's parents house to celebrate, not really having anywhere else to go. Jean would have preferred that she spent a quiet evening with Matt, but Josh had begged her to go because he couldn't take being with his parents alone. Besides, he was introducing Rachael to them and he needed their support (Matt just went along with it saying that they were the only friends that he's really made except for Jean of course, and that's what the holiday was about; being with friends and family). By the time they left the party, Matt was very pleased that he went; Mrs. Summers had prepared a marvelous meal and he was stuffed. However, as he laid in bed with Jean in his arms, resting his hand on her very pregnant belly under the shirt she was wearing, he thought that he would have had a good time if it was just them.

"I think that it's time that we decided on a name for our child," Jean said suddenly.

"Why such a rush?" Matt chuckled. "The baby's not due until the beginning of February."

"Exactly, I should have had a name for the little guy a long time ago!" she exclaimed. "I was just so busy with finals..."

"And driving me crazy about them too," he said, she had drawn him up a schedule and time table for both the classes he took and made sure that he followed them. "I don't think I've studied that hard in my life... even the years that I can't remember."

"Oh I'm sure someone made you study like that," she rolled her eyes. "But that's besides the point. I really think we should have discussed this before now."

"Maybe," he smiled. "I wonder what the kid will look like."

"Matt, I want to discuss names..." she whined.

"I know, but don't you think that it's important to know what the kid looks like before you name them," he smirked at her. "I mean I wouldn't wanted to call the kid Ronald if he had my hair color added with your hair style... I don't want my kid name after a spokesperson, especially one that's a clown."

"Oh Matt," she laughed as she slapped him. "I kind of like the name Ronald though..."

"Whatever, that could be the boys middle name if we have a boy," he rolled his eyes. "But if the kid has red hair, it can't be his first name."

"Why... I think that Ron is a good name for a redhead," she frowned, Matt was right, not every name would fit well with red hair.

"Because of the outside chance that he'll have curly hair too," he groaned. "I'm serious Mine, no spokespersons."

"Fine, but Ronald will be his middle name no matter what," she conceded. "So what do you think a good first name would be."

"I don't know," he said thoughtfully. "What do you think the boy would look like?"

"Exactly like you... at least that's what I'm hoping for," she smiled fondly at him.

"Okay, so what's a good name for a blue eyed, red haired, dashing, handsome, athletic, strong..."

"That's enough of that," she giggled as she slapped him again (he wouldn't count it a good day unless he was slapped at least fifteen times; he was still two away from reaching that goal and he blamed being out with company as the reason for that). "I was thinking about maybe William, but William Williams is very redundant, and even if you call him Will or Bill... it's still too much."

"So the kid is going to have my last name," he smiled, not that it really mattered much to him, it wasn't like it was his real last name, but he still liked the fact that she wanted that.

"Of course," she smiled at him. "Do you have any suggestions?"

"What, out of names already?" He smirked and she made a face at him. "Lets see... I don't know... I wasn't very good at naming myself..."

"I like the name Mathew..." she said.

"But obviously not as much as Ronald... you were praising that name like..." he smirked.

"Oh don't exaggerate," she rolled her eyes.

"Okay, how about... Arthur?" he suggested after a minute of thought.

"I like it," she smiled. "It's a good name... how did you think of it?"

"It's the first 'a' name I could think of," he smirked.

"Be serious," she said rolling her eyes at him.

"Okay," he smiled. "I don't know why... but I think this name meant something to me... maybe it's my name... or someone that was important to me... or maybe I just like it."

"That works for me, Arthur Ronald Williams," she smiled. "Now all we have to do is think of a girl's name and we'll be set."

"Okay, so I'm going to go with her looking exactly like you right," he smiled.

"I don't know, something tells me that red hair runs in your family," she sighed, she had envisioned that their daughter would indeed look a lot like her, but have her father's hair and eye colors.

"You don't know my family," he frowned.

"So? It's what I think and I'm sticking with it," she laughed. "So do you have any suggestions?"

"No, it's your turn to do it," he said. "I've worked too hard on the last name to care about this."

"Mathew! This is our child's name..." she glared at him.

"Yes... and I see how hard you worked on our son's name... I think it's time you earn your keep around here," he said smirking at her and she rolled her eyes and slapped him again.

"Fine," she said frowning, deep in thought. "How about Juliet..."

"As in Romeo and Juliet," he groaned. "I knew you shouldn't have read that book."

"But I really like it," she pouted, she had taken it upon herself to re-read all of the classic (she could tell as she read them most of the time that she must have already read them before she lost her memories, but had obviously forgotten them). She had discovered Romeo and Juliet only a few months ago but she did really like it.

"I kind of don't want my daughter to have the name of someone that came to such a tragic end," he frowned. "I mean they did die young all because of the stupid war that their family had with one other (Jean had insisted that he read the story too and he really didn't like it). The only line that I like in that whole thing was the one with the rose."

"You mean _'What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet._'," Hermione said and he nodded his head smiling.

"I know it's not what it was talking about, but it kind of made me think of us," he said thoughtful this time. "How we don't really know our real name, who we were before, but we still know each other. I know who you are, no matter if your name was Jean or Hermia (Jean had made him read A Midsummer Night's Dream too, which he didn't like at all and told her he wasn't going to read anymore from Shakespeare; he found that name oddly familiar and comforting though it wasn't quite right)."

"That's so sweet Matt," she said with tears in her eyes as she smiled at him. "And that's basically what it means... it's the person and not the name that matters. Oh, we have to call her that now."

"Call her what?" he asked looking confused.

"Rose," she smiled. "Our daughter has to be called Rose."

"Rose," he smiled too. "I like it. Rose Jean Williams."

"Jean?" she questioned.

"What? I like Jean," he smirked looking at her suggestively.

"I've noticed," she smiled back at him and he kissed her.

"I love you," he said when he pulled away and then he looked at her stomach. "And I love you too baby, whether you're an Arthur or a Rose, daddy loves you."

Jean just watched him as he did this, her eyes really starting to tear up this time. He was just so loving and caring, and she could see how much he really wanted all this.

"Marry me," he said as he looked back up at her, he had asked her this question everyday since the first night all those months ago and she would always answer him the same ('I'm not ready yet,' she had decided saying no wasn't the best way to do it). At first she found it cute, and then for a while she found it annoying (and told him so rather loudly) but lately she's found that it means so much more. It meant that he's not giving up, he's not going to relent, because this is what he wants and he's going to keep asking her that until he gets the right answer. Still, her answer wasn't a lie, she wasn't ready yet and until she was she wasn't going to give him that answer.

However, today was different, she didn't know exactly what had happened today that made it special but she could see it all clearly now. She smiled at him, he had already laid down getting ready to fall asleep, apparently sure what her answer was going to be. He wasn't pushing her, or trying to make her do something that she didn't want to do by asking her to marry him, he was simply letting her know that that's what he wants and that it's not going to change any time soon.

"Mine?" he looked at her quizzically, she hadn't answered him in over a minute and usually she would have slapped him by now, rolling her eyes and said 'I'm not ready yet.'

"Yes Matt," she said watching as his breath caught and he stared at her with wide eyes, she could tell that he was barely holding back his enthusiasm because he wasn't sure if she was saying yes to his proposal or to him saying her name. She smiled at him, letting him suffer for a second longer as she said, "I'll marry you."

"Really!" he said sitting up and hugging her tightly. "I was only expecting a slap to keep up with my quota... but I think this just might make today the best day of my life."

"Mine too," She said hugging him back, loving how excited he was. "But honestly Matt, what took you so long... we really should be married before the baby is born."

"Took me... but..." he said glaring at her as she laughed at his affronted face. "You're bloody evil woman..." he said and then kissed her hard, his excitement of finally getting engaged like he wanted to showing. "But I still love you."

"Then I think it's about time that you showed me," she said pulling him down for another kiss.

O

It only took them eight days to get everything they needed for the wedding. Jean was insistent that now that she had said yes to Matt, that she was going to marry him before the baby had any hopes of being born. So she had found this nice little church that was down the street from Matt's house that was available for the Sunday afternoon on January second. The wedding itself was a small affair, the only people to come were Josh and Rachael. Jean had joked that if anything that Josh should have been her maid of honor and Rachael was the closest thing that Matt had to a best man (though he was becoming a lot closer with Josh the longer the two knew each other). However, they both felt that it was wrong that anyone actually stand up with them because somehow they knew that that position should be filled by someone else. Though she did have Josh give her away, because in so many real ways she had been depending on him since she met him and it just made sense that he should do that.

After the simple ceremony were they had written their own vows, they made there way to Josh's flat for the reception, where all their friends they had met in the last almost two years were waiting for them to celebrate. Mostly they were people that either Matt or Jean had met at work (they were both kind of loner/outsiders at school and hadn't really talked to that many people) and Josh's parents who have become quite fond of Jean and her new husband. They both had a really good time as the talked to all their guess, but all in all they were really just waiting for the time were it could be just the two of them.

**A/N: Okay I felt a lot better with writing this one, and a lot more happened in it then I thought there would. I really wasn't expecting that first scene at all, about them getting ready to move in but it just came and I thought it went well. Another thing that wasn't plan was the whole Ronald thing. I knew that they were going to have a discussion about what they should name their baby and that in turn would lead to Hermione finally wanting to marry Ron, but I didn't know until I started writing it that the Ronald issue would come up and the whole similarities with Ronald McDonald, but I thought it was funny. As for the Rose thing... Well I was planning on making her be called Juliet, it's what I always thought Hermione's mother's name would be, but when I got to it, Rose just made so much more sense... especially for this story. So, lots of surprises in this chapter for me. I hope you like them as much as I did. **


	14. Birth

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters.**

**Update 11/29/2010**

Chapter Fourteen

Birth

Harry was standing outside of the Minister of Magic's office feeling a little nervous. He wasn't sure why Kingsley wanted to see him and why he was making it seem so professional, but he knew that this wasn't going to be anything he would like.

"Have a seat," Kingsley said in a grave voice.

"What is it?" Harry said wanting Kingsley to get to the point quickly.

"I need you to start working on more cases Harry," Kingsley said, still gravely, but he had to be firm about this.

"You're taking me off Ron and Hermione's case," Harry narrowed his eyes at the Minster.

"No, not off the case," Kingsley sighed. "But I can't have you working on it like you have been for the last eighteen months."

"Kingsley you know I only took this job so that I could find them," Harry said fiercely.

"And I'm not telling you to stop looking for them," Kingsley said. "But I don't see how you working on this all the time is going to help you find them any faster. They're in the Muggle world, it's not like you can go out into the streets and knock on everyone's doors to see if you can find them. And you still don't even know where they were placed at the beginning of this whole thing and it's been almost two years... Harry how much good is it doing you working on this nonstop? If you can tell me that you honesty think that it's going to help to be on this full time, I'll back off. But if you can't, Harry we really need your help!"

"I can't just leave them out there, I can't give up on them!" Harry shouted. "I don't care if it's going to help or not... I can't do anything else..."

"Do you honesty think that they would want you to do this... to waste you time on this when you could be doing something the help our community?" Kingsley said. "Harry, I don't know if you've noticed this or not, but there are still great dangers here... the world is getting better, people are really starting to live their lives again, but there are still Death Eaters out there that are threatening our progress, not to mention the new threats that are starting to crop up... I need your help with this. They would want you to help me."

Harry glared at Kingsley, knowing that every word that he said was right and hating him for it.

"I'm not telling you to give up on them," Kingsley sighed, seeing the hate and pain in Harry's eyes. "And if you get a real lead on them, you should pursue it... I'm just saying that you can't put all your energy into this. Please Harry."

"Fine," Harry hissed and got up to go, he knew if he stayed there longer he was going to say something stupid and he really didn't want that. He was too upset to even go back to work (luckily it was only ten minutes until his shift ended so it didn't matter that much) so he went to the spot where it was safe to Apparate from and went home.

"Harry, you're home early!" Ginny beamed as she ran to him to give him a kiss. They had moved in together two months ago. Getting the flat wasn't as easy as Harry had thought it would be; it had taken him three weeks to find this place and another week to work with Ginny's now very busy schedule so she could see it too. He was really pleased that she had loved it almost as much as he did, and she was just happy that he had picked something cozy and quaint seeing as he really could have picked some kind of mansion if he wanted to.

"Yeah," Harry sighed and she looked at him warily.

"What's the matter?" Ginny frowned.

"Kingsley just told me I have to work other cases... I have to put Ron and Hermione's case on hold!" Harry spat out still rather upset.

"Oh," Ginny frowned.

"You don't seem upset about that," Harry glared at her.

"I thought this might happen," Ginny sighed and lead them to their living room and sat them down on the couch.

"You might have mentioned it to me," Harry huffed but not really angry at her at all. "What am I supposed to do now?"

"I don't know," Ginny sighed. "But we're not going to stop looking for them."

Harry smiled at her; he could see it in her eyes, her determination to do this. "Thanks love," he said kissing her head as she rested it on his shoulder. "I really needed to hear that."

Ginny sighed into his chest and they just sat in peace as he held her closely to him. They both knew that no matter what, neither one of them was going to give up on the search for Ron and Hermione, even if they had to work on it all by themselves, they were going to find them somehow.

O

Matt really wished that he could have stayed at home with his new wife, and just thinking that made the biggest smile come to his face, but he was scheduled to meet one of the recruiting officers at the police station on the Friday after they had gotten married and Jean had pushed him out the door before he could even try to protest. The meeting went well, at least Matt felt comfortable in the fact that he understood everything that Aaron Thomas said and was able to answer with confidence the few questions he asked. However, he was feeling more nervous about the actual exam that he would be taking in a few minutes because he knew that he really was only going to get this one chance at this knowing that he wouldn't have time to study all over again.

"Relax son," Aaron said, he was middle aged man and he had taken a liking to the kid (he hadn't met many kids Matt's age that seemed to care as much as he did). "I've already seen that you've got a good understanding of this... you should do fine."

"Thanks," Matt smiled at him as the door opened and he, and about a dozen people, walked in.

"Now, I just have to say that we only have opening here for two detectives," the examiner said. "So you all have to be at your best in order to make it."

Matt sighed as he looked around the room noticing that most of the people seemed to already be officers and were obviously trying to make it to the next level. However, there were two other people that looked like they were like him, going out for this for the first time, though they looked a good five years older them him (in fact he knew that he was the youngest person in the room). When he was handed the exam he opened it up and noticed that he knew the first question at least, which made him relax considerably. By the time he finished, he was confident that he got most of the questions right and he had explained himself well.

The next part of the exam was of a more practical nature, it was another interview, but this time with analysts about what you should do in certain situations. He was only allowed one minute to answer each question and he really had to think on his feet. He was feeling really confident after he caught the impressed look on his examiner's face; he was always good at thinking on his feet. However the next thing he knew, he was getting fingerprinted for a background check and being asked about personal things that he couldn't really answer. When he told them of his memory loss, they all looked at him warily and he knew that that was likely going to count against him, but he wasn't going to let that happen if he could help it. He used all of the passion and determination that he had, and by the end, it looked like he had convinced them (though it might all be in vain if he had some kind of criminal record he didn't know about, he thought bitterly).

"Well Matt, that wasn't so bad now was it?" Aaron said after all the testing was done.

"I guess not," he smiled.

"Now's the hard part... they're not going to get back to you for another month in a half," Aaron chuckled. "I remembered how hard that wait was..."

"Gee thanks," he said nervously.

"Sorry," Aaron chuckled again. "Let me calm your nerves a little."

"How?" he eyed him suspiciously.

"One of the open positions is to take over for my partner," Aaron smiled. "He's retiring in a little over a month... anyways, that's why they had me there. I'm going to have to train the new guy... er... or he's going to be my partner. I just thought you might like to know that you're my favorite."

"That is nice to know," he smiled.

"I just have to ask you this now," Aaron said taking Matt to the side and made sure no one was around. "In there you said that you were just married and had a kid on the way..."

"Yeah," he said frowning.

"I just want you to make sure you know how dangerous this job can be... not everyone gets to retire, if you know what I mean," Aaron gave him a sad look; he had lost many good friends on this job.

"I thought of that, but my girl... er... wife," he said smiling brightly at saying that. "She told me that I wouldn't be the man she fell in love with if I didn't try to do this; that I shouldn't give up on my dream just because it might... er is dangerous. She wants me to be happy..."

"You got a good one there," Aaron smiled. "Well good luck Matt, I'll be pulling for you."

"Thanks," he said as he shook Aaron's hand and then left the building and made his way home as fast as he could.

"So how did it go?" Jean asked as soon as he came into the bedroom, she was on bed rest for her last stage of pregnancy and she found that she didn't like it one bit.

"I think it went well," Matt smiled and kissed her before he changed into something more comfortable. "I like the guy that might be my partner if I get the job and more importantly, he likes me. The only thing I'm worried about is the psych test they made us take. I'm not sure if I did it well and it really wasn't good when they found out I didn't know who the hell I was, but I think I gave them a good enough reason to take me anyway..."

"Well they better not let that affect their decision because we know a few good lawyers that are willing to take your case," she smiled and he chuckled.

"I have a good feeling about this," he smiled. "But I'm not going to know anything for another month at least, so I guess we don't have to worry about that now."

"Well that's nice at least," she smiled. "The little guy should be born by then so you don't have to worry about that."

"I know, but if I do get the job I'm going to be really busy," he sighed. "I might not be there for you as much as I should be."

"Don't worry about it love," she smiled. "You know that I'm taking the next few months off at work on maturity leave so I should be able to take care of everything."

"I know, but that doesn't mean that I didn't want to be there too," he sighed. "Come on love, let's go get some dinner."

"I'm not supposed to move around that much, remember?" she said.

"I know, well go to Kate's," he smiled; it was this nice little restaurant that was just down the street from them that they both liked. "We've been married for six days already and I haven't taken you out once. Now do what your husband says and let's go."

"You had me until that last sentence," she glared at him but nonetheless got up and got ready to go, it did sound nice and they had more than one reason to celebrate now.

O

"Matt... Matt wake up," Jean said, it was more than three weeks later and she was feeling pained.

"What is it?" Matt said groggily, it was four in the morning after all and he was definitely not used to being up that early.

"I think it's time," she said holding her stomach.

"Time?" he said confused as he looked at the clock and then back at her. "Time!" he added eyes going wide as he shot up and rushed to get ready.

"Matt..." she cried as he was leaving the room with the bag they had prepared for this. "I need a little help."

"Er... sorry," he said coming back to her and helping her out of bed. He helped her get dressed in a hurry and then they were rushing to the car (Josh had let them borrow his until the baby was born). Soon enough they were at the hospital, Matt frantically running around having no idea what to do, but even with that they managed to get into a room.

"Matt, you really need to calm down, I'm the one that should be panicking," she said as he continued to pace the room.

"Sorry," he moaned, though he didn't look any less worried. "It's just you're early and I thought we had more time... and what if there's a problem with the..."

"Sh... love," she said held her hand out to him and he immediately took it moving a lot closer to her. "It's only a week early... I'm sure everything is going to be fine."

"I know," he said and lean down so his forehead was resting on hers. "I love you," he kissed her and wrapped his arms around her.

"I see that this is the beginning of labor," the doctor said as she walked in the room, smiling at them. "Matt you might want to take advantage of this and call anyone that you want to know about this."

"Right," he said looking down at his wife, but he didn't move; he really didn't want to leave her side at the moment.

"I'll be fine," she smiled at him.

Matt sighed and left the room knowing that Jean really wanted Josh to be there if he could, so he called him and then immediately went back to being with his wife.

It was now hours later and Jean was in the middle of labor, crushing Matt's hand as she tried her hardest to push. "This is all your fucking fault!" she hissed as pain went through her body. "You are never touching me again!"

"Just keep pushing love," Matt said actually starting to tear up because of the pain that was in his hand, but it really didn't matter at all to him. "We're almost there."

"Hmph," she huffed as once again she was told to start pushing.

"I can see its head," the doctor said. "You're doing a good job Jean... I just need you to give me another good push..."

"You can do it love," Matt said, he could see that she was exhausted and didn't really want to push anymore but nonetheless did what she was told.

"It's a boy," the doctor smiled only a few minutes later as Jean collapsed on the bed, though her eyes never left her baby. "Here you go," the doctor said handing the baby to her as soon as he was cleaned and wrapped in a blanket.

"He's precious," Matt smiled as he kissed the top of his wife's sweaty head and wrapped his arms around her. She leaned her head snugly against his chest as she smiled down at her baby boy. He was resting peacefully there with his red hair that looked just like his fathers. "Aren't you Arthur?"

"He's going to look just like you," Jean smiled proudly.

"Poor kid," Josh said walking into the room.

"What are you doing here?" Matt asked looking at him for a second before looking back to his son in his wife's arm, and he's never seen a more beautiful sight in his life.

"I was getting tired of waiting so I bribed a nurse to be allowed in," Josh smiled as he walked closer to the happy couple and looked down at newborn. "He seems to have your month Jean," he added at then touched the baby's hair. "And your curls."

"I think it's much to early to tell that," Jean smiled. "But it doesn't really matter... I think he's beautiful. My little Arthur."

"I thought I was your little author," Josh pouted, and she just rolled her eyes at him. "You did really good this time kid," he added smiling at Jean and the baby. "I guess I should leave you guys alone."

"Thanks," Matt said smiling at his friend before being complied to look at his family again, he just felt so complete as he held them in his arms. At this moment, it didn't matter that he didn't know anything about himself (or that Jean didn't either), he just felt like nothing in the world could make him happier than he is at this moment. "I love you Mine... I love you Arthur."

"I love you too," Jean said looking up at him kissing him briefly, she was feeling the same as him; she couldn't be any more content than she was at that moment.

**A/N: The last scene here, with the birth wasn't exactly what I thought it would be. I really didn't know what to do with it, but it'll just have to do. Anyways if you haven't guess, I kind of like the name Arthur for Ron and Hermione kid (if you read my other story you would see that I named him Arthur too), but it just makes sense to me that that's what he would be named. **


	15. Three Years Later

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters.**

**Update 11/29/2010**

Chapter Fifteen

Three Years Later

Over the next three years, Matt, Jean and Arthur lived happily, though hectically together. Matt had gotten the detective job about two and half weeks after Arthur was born, and Jean had to force him to take it, knowing that he didn't really want to leave so soon after the birth of their son even though he really needed to do it. He found his job to be very challenging, and the pay wasn't the best (he was making almost as much in his other job that he had to give up), but he love the work he was doing. He felt like he was finally doing something with his life; something that he knew now more than ever was the thing that he was meant to be doing. However, that didn't mean he liked the long hours he had to work at times and the fact that he wasn't home as much as he wanted to be.

During her two months of maturity leave, Jean had hardly left Arthur side, just loving to watch him (though she could do without him waking them up at all hours of the day). Her plans to do anything except being with Arthur fell out the window as soon as she was faced with her son and how much she loved him. She was still able to read a lot, getting way ahead of herself in her studies, but the plans to learn how to cook or learn how to sew or anything else that she thought she would do didn't seem so important anymore.

When she went back to work for the first time, she didn't know if she could really handle it, she didn't want to be away from her baby, but this time Matt had force her to do it. He gave her an understanding smile when he basically told her what she had told him a few months ago, she made a face at him, but knew he was right. It was hard, being away, going back to work, but soon she found that she really had missed this (not as much as she missed her son whenever she was away, but enough to convince her that she really wanted to be there).

It was hard for them to work out a schedule were one or the other could be with Arthur, and still have time to see each other too (which turned out to be only a few hours a day and on the weekends). It really was hard that first year to make time for each other, only made harder when Matt had forced Jean to go back to school, knowing that she really wanted to go but feared that they couldn't afford either the money or time it would take. Somehow, they were able to make ends meet and manage to have some time together, which in a large part had to do with Josh being able to look after Arthur a lot (she had never been so happy that Josh was a writer and worked at home most of the time). For his part, Josh loved Arthur and was pleased whenever he got to see the little guy (which was at least twice a week).

Jean still marveled at the fact that she was still top of her class even though she didn't take nearly as much time to study as she normally did. But Matt told her it was just because she was brilliant; she didn't really need to study at all and she could pass her exam that would make her able to become a lawyer already if she would just take it. However, she didn't agree with that and worked hard in her studies until she graduated, took her bar exam, and took the Legal Practice Course she was required to take before she could start being a lawyer. She then (rather easily) got an internship at the law firm that she had worked at since she first got a job. Her boss was sad to see her go as his assistant but he was quite excited about using her to help him in most of his cases.

After Jean was finished with school and was working as an intern, it really didn't make sense for them to live in the house that they were at. They were always having to take a bus to work, seeing as they didn't have and weren't going to get a car, and now that she no longer had classes, it just really didn't make sense. So two years after Arthur was born, they moved into a small flat that had two bedrooms, a bathroom, kitchen and small living room. It was only a little smaller than the house that they used to live in and there were plenty of things in the quaint flat that made it feel like home for them (though the most important thing to Jean was that it was in a safe neighborhood).

At that moment, Matt was making his way to their bedroom, having eaten the sandwich that Jean had left for him in the fridge. He had to work two hour longer than he thought he would and he was hoping that Jean wouldn't have noticed; she always worried when he was late (and given what his job was, she had a good reason, but most of the time this happened, it just meant that he had more paper work than he thought he would). However, today he was late because the guy he was staking out didn't give him a chance to leave (not without being noticed) so he just had to sit there. He walked into his room and smiled at the fact that Jean was fast asleep, which he guessed he had to admit that this six at night to two in the morning shift had one advantage (although a lot more disadvantages); that at least she wasn't awake to be able to worry about him. He quickly got out of his work clothes and crawled into bed with only his boxers on trying to be quiet.

"Hmmm... you're home," she sighed as she immediately moved closer to him.

"Sorry... I didn't mean to wake you," he said, but he was smiling (he still loved when she would snuggle to him like this).

"It's okay," she said in a sleepy voice. "What time is it?"

"Er... almost four thirty," he said nervously.

"Really," she sat up to look at him and then to the clock. "Why are you home so late?"

"Technically love, it's early," he said trying to distract her.

"I don't care about technicalities," she huffed.

"That's not what you said on our second date," he smirked.

"I wouldn't really call either of our first meetings dates," she smiled back at him.

"Then I suppose we've never really been on a date," he said and then kissed her.

"Why were you late?" she asked again when he pulled way.

"I couldn't get away," he sighed, knowing that she wasn't going to let this go. "Don't worry Mine... it wasn't serious."

"Good," she said and looked back at the clock. "You know there really is no reason for me to go back to sleep, seeing as I have to be up in half an hour anyways."

"Oh really," he said spooning her and starting to kiss her neck. "Can you think of something you would rather be doing?"

"Perhaps," she moaned as she turned her head so she could kiss him probably (it had been almost a week since she'd been able to be with her husband like this). "I know that I have to wish someone a happy birthday."

"That's right," he said pulling away, this date always made him a little sad, thinking about the life he once had; thinking about the life that she had once had too, and wonder if anyone was out there looking for them. However, it also made him happy, seeing as he had so much to show for himself over the last few years. It had been five years since he had lost his memories and he had a job he loved doing (and he was one of the best at, he noted proudly), he was married to the smartest and kindest woman in the world (and sexiest too), and he had a son that he adores. He still wished that he knew who he was, and he knew that Jean was more than a little upset about still not knowing anything about herself, but he felt like his life really couldn't get any better than it was right now.

"Sorry... I didn't mean to upset you," she sighed as she noticed his thoughtful look.

"Mine, at the moment, you couldn't upset me even if you tried," he said giving her the lopsided grin that he knew she loved so much.

"Argh, you are not doing anymore night-time stake outs," she groaned as he looked at her confused. "That color is all wrong on you."

"Mine," he chuckled, he had been dying his hair black for the last month and she really didn't like the look of it. She was so adamant about it one time that she made him dye his hair back to red for the weekend because she missed him so much (which lead to the best sex they had in awhile, maybe even ever). "Sorry love, I don't have any dye."

"Don't you have tonight off?" she said as he started to kiss her neck.

"Yeah, but I work on Saturday," he said.

"Hmph... I guess I'll just have to suffer through this then," she groaned playfully and he started kissing her again.

"It's only another week love," he said, knowing that next Tuesday was his last day he was going to have to do surveillance and their lives could go back to normal. "Aaron thinks we'll have enough on that bastard by then."

"Good," she said both meaning it and upset about that. She had really missed her redheaded husband this last month, feeling almost like she was living with a stranger, but she knew that this work was a lot safer than most of his other jobs and she didn't have to worry as much.

Matt rolled his eyes at that, knowing exactly what she was thinking, as he moved to kiss her hard, not letting her worry about anything else. It really took no time at all to get her back into the mood and soon he had her biting he lip has he watched her go over the edge, leaning over just in time to catch her scream as the both cam hard.

"You know I miss you screaming my name," he said a few minutes later as she rested on his chest.

"So do I," she chuckled. Their three year old son had taken it upon himself about five months ago to knock on their door after one of their particularly vociferous encounter, having been worried about his hearing his mum scream. Jean was still embarrassed about that, and Matt was starting to get annoyed, though he loved that his son was already protecting his mum.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked, trying to not think about the other incident, as she played with some of the chest hairs he now had.

"Contraception actually," he said.

"What... why are you thinking about that?" she asked smiling bemusedly at him.

"Well, I was thinking that it was a good thing that you were on the pill," he said warily. "Because well it wouldn't have..."

"Yeah, yeah I know all that part," she rolled her eyes.

"But then I was thinking... er... that maybe you shouldn't be on it anymore," he said nervously.

"What... what do you mean?" she sat up and looked at him, and could see in his eyes exactly what he meant.

"Well... I was wondering if... I mean, Arthur's already... it might be nice..." he said stumbling over his words.

"You want another baby," she frowned.

"Yeah... I kind of do," he said looking at her hopefully.

"I don't know," she sighed. "We're still really busy... I just got settled in my job..."

"Oh... that's okay," he sighed looking away from her.

"How long have you been thinking about this?" she asked with a knowing smile.

"A few weeks," he smiled back at her sheepishly.

"Okay, we'll have to have a real discussion about this soon... maybe even tonight," she smiled. "I think it would be better if we waited a little longer... so you had better come up with a good case if you want to get what you want."

"That's not fair... you always win arguments like that," he pouted.

"I know," she smirked at him. "But this time you really have a shot at winning..."

"And why is that?" he asked.

"Because I really want another baby with you," she smiled. "A little girl this time."

He smiled at her goofily at that and she knew that he was thinking the same thing as she was, but she didn't have time to linger on that image, she had to get up and get ready to go to work. She got ready using her same route that she did ever morning, her favorite part, just like ever other day, was when she sat down to have breakfast with Arthur, who always woke up early to eat with her. He would usually go back to his room after that (unless it was one of the days that Uncle Josh was looking after him) and 'read' a book. She was pleased beyond measure when she found her son had taken to books like she had and he had the basics of reading down. Matt teased that Arthur would be reading at a higher level than him by the time he was five, and Jean just shrugged at that and said that it wasn't likely but he probably would have read more books than Matt.

"Goodbye my little man," she smiled as she got up to go, kissing him on the forehead. "Be good for Daddy."

"I will," Arthur said as he ran to his room.

She smiled as she watched him go and made her way to the door, she just loved everything about her son, it was hard to imagine life without him. As that thought came to her, she thought more about what Matt had asked earlier in the morning and thought it might be time to expand their family a little. Though Arthur could be a handful sometimes, especially that time that he had scared the crap out of her when he had came out one morning three weeks ago with hair the same shade of black as Matt's had been. She still couldn't see how he did it, she was sure that they didn't have any hair dye in the house, not to mention she highly doubted that even her genius of a son, which is what Matt and Josh had decided to dub him when he started walking at nine months and talking at one, without causing a major mess. It was like he had just made it happen magically or something. She could still remember the look in his eyes as he explained that he wanted his hair black because he wanted to be just like Daddy, and he thought that she would like him better that way. She hugged him after that, he was just too cute some times, and told him that she loved his hair the way it was and that day she had bought and dyed his hair back to his naturally red (picking up an extra one for Matt so that he could do the same). Still, she loved her son more than anything, and she really could see how having another little one might make her life all the better.

She got to work just on time, not that it really mattered at the moment, she had just finished a big case, one where her boss had allowed her to do most of the work... it was so amazing finally being able to put her knowledge to practice like this. She walked to her desk, noticing all the paper work that she was going to have to do, hoping that she would be able to finish by the end of the day (or she would have to spend Monday working on it too instead of being able to try and get a case). She had worked all day, but it all paid off, because she had finished with ten minutes to spare.

She was rather pleased with herself with being able to finish everything that she decided to stop by the bakery to pick up some kind of dessert (she knew that both her boys love desserts, but she wouldn't let them have it too often). As she walked out of the bakery with a strawberry shortcake, it was Arthur's favorite and she was rather fond of it too (it was hard to tell what Matt's favorite was seeing as he loves everything, though she thought it was likely apple pie) she ran into someone.

Now, she was very happy with who she had become over the last five years. She loved her family more then anything, but that didn't mean that her heart didn't stop and her eyes widen with hope when the person she had ran into exclaimed "Hermione!" with a look that said all too plainly that this person just might know who she really was.

**A/N: I know most people wanted them to start to remember on their own, but I just always thought it would work this way, anyways the next chapter we get to see who Hermione has ran into.**


	16. Found at Last

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters.**

**Update 11/29/2010**

Chapter Sixteen

Found at Last

She woke up this day knowing that something big was going to happen. She didn't know how she knew it (or if it was even going to be true) but she just believed that something was going to happen today, if for no other reason than to see her fiance smile for once on this day. Harry had asked her to marry her almost a year ago, she had helped the Harpies (considerably seeing as she was the top scorer in the league) win the championship for the second year in a row and she had just agreed to play for the national team. She didn't know that she could still feel that happy getting all the things that she had wanted in her life and for the next month she was in total bliss.

However over the year, it had became clear that though Harry wanted to marry her more than anything, he was still upset about not finding his two best friends. It was just a month ago that she had set a date for their wedding and told him that she was only going to wait six more months until they got married, with or without them. Of course that didn't mean for one minute that she wanted him to stop looking for them, or that she had to stop looking either. But she wasn't going to wait forever to get her happy ending with Harry, and she knew that they would both understand that (though Ron might have grumbled about his best friend marrying his sister if he was here). Harry had sighed, but he understood, in all honesty he wanted that too, it was just hard for him to move on with his life without them.

She got out of bed trying to cling onto the good feeling she had, because this time of year really was the hardest for her, for all of them really. Yesterday was the fifth anniversary of the final battle, and she had to mourn the death of her bother, which always made her an emotional wreak and she was just happy that she had Harry there to help her through this. Today, however, was the day that Harry had always chosen to break down completely, using blaming himself for letting his best friends get taken like that, and generally mourning for them. She had asked him a few years ago why he chose to do this on the third when he knew that they were taken on the second, and he just said that he knew that she needed him on the second (that both of them couldn't break down at the same time) and Fred really should have a day to himself to mourn (besides it was the third that he had found out that they were gone).

"Where are you going today?" Harry frowned, like always he felt like crap today and he really wished that she would just stay there with him in bed all day (though he was supposed to go into work he was seriously thinking about calling in sick).

"Manchester," Ginny said. "I heard about this law firm that does good work or something, and it wasn't that far from a school..."

"Gin, you haven't found any sign of them in any of the places that you looked," Harry sighed.

When Harry had first told Ginny that he would have to take on the case more at home, he felt almost hopeful that something would come up, that by working with Ginny something would show up. However, in the three years since he was told to put the case on hold he had only found one lead that had any real potential of finding them and it didn't pan out. It was getting quite frustrating that no matter what he did, nothing seemed to work, but Ginny seemed to be working harder the longer they didn't find anything. She decided that only following big leads probably wasn't going to work, so instead of working on that, she concentrated more on finding a place that Ron and Hermione might be able to make a life at.

At first Harry thought this was a good idea, especially since he hated feeling like he wasn't doing anything (like he was letting them down by not being able to find them quicker), but lately he's been starting to think it was a bad idea. He couldn't stand it how every time that she goes out in hopes to find them that a part of him believes that she would; believes that he would see his friends again. And it killed him every time that she (or they, Harry went on more than one of these expeditions) came back empty handed, and he could see the same look in Ginny's eyes too.

"Honesty Gin, England is a big place, you're not just going to run into them like that," Harry groaned. "Besides, how is any of that information going to help us find Ron."

"I don't know," Ginny said ignoring the first half of his statement; she didn't care if what she was doing was pointless, she had to try and do something. Besides, she liked seeing all the scenery of all the different places she had been over the last month (she's only had time to do this during the few months she had off from the Quidditch season). "You know I have no idea what Ron might be up to..."

"That didn't stop you from going to Bath when you heard about the chest convention there," Harry almost laughed.

"Well, there was a chance he heard of it," Ginny huffed. "Look, I'm going to go to Manchester, and there's nothing you can say to stop me."

"Fine," Harry groaned.

By the time that she had gotten done looking all over the university, Ginny was starting to feel like this was in fact a waste of time. Don't get her wrong, she could definitely see her friend going to classes there, most likely in law because that's what Hermione had shown interest in before everything happened (that or helping to save the house elves, but it wasn't likely that that was what she would be doing now). However, she felt that way about every school she went to and now that it was five years since Hermione has been gone, it was less likely that she would still be going to school.

She wasn't going to let this affect her mood (okay so it already did, but she was determined to see this through) so she headed for the law firm that she thought Hermione might be working for, and if she still didn't find her, Ginny was going to head down to the police station ask if they had seen either Ron or Hermione around. However, she didn't get a chance to do either of those things before she was bumped into by somebody.

"Sorry, I didn't see you," the woman with wavy hair said and Ginny just stared at her for a while, not really believing what she saw.

"Hermione!" she exclaimed as she kept looking at the woman before her, and there was no doubt in her mind that she had just literally ran into her lost friend.

"Er..." the woman blushed not knowing what to say, giving her a curious and hopeful look.

"Hermione, it is you!" Ginny shouted, unable to hold back her five years of worry and the joy she felt at finally getting to see her again, she stepped up and hugged her friend.

Jean sighed as she got hugged by this complete stranger. It was weird, she had never been one to hug much, but she found this oddly comforting and familiar. However, it wasn't until this moment that she fully realized that this girl knew her, truly knew her and she might not have to be confused about her past anymore. After the other girl pulled away to look her over again, with the same expression of wonderment and knowing, Jean couldn't stop herself from asking, "You really know me?"

"Yeah," Ginny beamed. "You cut your hair, well of course you cut your hair loads of times, I mean it's been five years, but it looks really nice that length (Jean had in fact just decided cut her hair just above her shoulder just a few weeks ago and really appreciated the comment; though it did make her a little angrier with Matt who hadn't noticed the change at all). And you really filled into yourself... you've never looked more beautiful Mione..."

"Er... excuse me," Jean try to say.

"Merlin, everyone is going to want to see you... Harry's going to be so excited!" Ginny said not even noticing her friend. "Now if we could only find Ron, everything will be perfect!"

"Excuse me," Jean tried again, for all the good it did.

"But still, this is big news... what should I do now?" Ginny said still talking very fast.

"You can start by telling me who you are," Jean said smiling at the very excited girl (she reminded Jean of Matt when he was excited about something). "And then you could tell me who I am."

"Er... right, sorry," Ginny sighed, taking at deep breath still looking at Hermione like she couldn't believe her eyes... or like she thought Hermione was going to disappear or something. Jean had decided that they should probably sit down so she had led the other girl to the chairs outside of the bakery that she had just walked out of. "I'm Ginny Weasley, your best friend... er... your best girlfriend that is."

"My best girlfriend?" Jean questioned.

"Well, your best friends were really my brother Ron and my fiancé Harry," Ginny said smiling as she called Harry her fiancé.

"Right," Jean said and she could just envision the two boys that she still dreams about on occasion (she assumed that the redhead was this girl's, Ginny, brother). "Did you say Ron?" she asked and she thought how her son's middle name was Ronald and this might be the reason why she had liked the name.

"Yeah, my brother," Ginny frowned, she had hoped that somehow Hermione would remember Ron at the very least (though that might not have been a good thing seeing as they still didn't have any idea where the hell he was).

"Were we close?" Jean asked, there was something in Ginny face that told her that she should know who this Ron guy was. "I mean you said we were best friends..."

"Yeah, you were close," Ginny said not really sure how to answer that question. As far as she knew Ron and Hermione hadn't really discussed their feelings they had for each other (according to Harry they had only shared one kiss), but she knew how much the two really loved each other.

"Er... why don't you tell me more about myself," Jean said not liking the look that Ginny was giving her at the moment and wanted to talk about something safer. She could almost see it in the other girl's face that she most have cared deeply for this other guy and she really didn't want to hear about that (especially knowing how Matt was going to take the news).

"Well, you're an only child," Ginny said not sure where to start, so she decided at the beginning was best. "I don't really know that much about your life before Hogwarts but..."

"Hogwarts... what's Hogwarts?" Jean asked.

"It's our school," Ginny said biting her bottom lip; she probably shouldn't have mentioned that, especially not to Hermione knowing that the other girl didn't know about the magical word.

"I've never heard of it," Jean frowned, and she had looked at lots of different schools, trying to see if any of them sounded familiar to her (this was in the first months after the accident when all she really knew about herself was that she loved to learn).

"Not many people have," Ginny shrugged and hoped that she looked nonchalant; not many people can catch her in a lie, but Hermione was one of them. However, it didn't seem like the girl that sat across from her seem to notice (a fact that made Ginny a little sad).

"What's the matter?" Jean asked noting the forlorn look on the other girl's face.

"It's nothing... it's just..." Ginny frowned biting her lip, she really shouldn't say this.

"I'm not Hermione," Jean smiled, not really knowing how she knew it but she could just tell that's what the girl was upset about.

"Yes and no," Ginny sighed, but smiled too. "What's your name... er... I'm mean, what have you been calling yourself... I'm mean, there's no way that you named yourself Hermione... who would?"

"Evidently my parents," Jean laughed. "And I'm Jean, Jean Williams."

"Jean... seriously your name is Jean?" Ginny laughed too.

"Why is that so funny?" Jean asked raising her eyebrows.

"Because your name is Hermione _Jean_ Granger," Ginny said.

"It's my middle name, no wonder it sounded so familiar," Jean smiled. "So you were telling me about... er... me."

"Yeah," Ginny chuckled. "Merlin Mione, you have no idea how good it is to see you again."

"No, I suppose I don't," Jean smiled at her. "I just get to sit her with a stranger listening to her tell me about myself... though I can't believe that I made friends with such a crazy girl... what's up with the Merlin?"

"Hmph... Jean's meaner than Mione is," Ginny pouted, not liking that Hermione had already picked up that Ginny was a little different than the Muggles that she hung around.

"Sorry," Jean frowned. "I get teased a lot and I can't help but snap back at them."

"No worries Mione, I like it," Ginny smiled.

"So, I'm guessing Mione is what you called me?" Jean asked, no wonder she had instantly loved it when Matt called her Mine.

"Yeah," Ginny said warily wondering if the other girl minded her calling her that, she didn't think she would ever be able to call her Jean (it just wasn't right somehow). "Do you mind?"

"No... I like it," Jean smiled. "So I wasn't a push over or anything?"

"What?" Ginny said.

"Well you said that I'm meaner now... I was just wondering if I just let people walk over me or something?" Jean asked.

"Are you kidding me?" Ginny laughed. "You never stood for anyone treating you... or anyth... one else for that matter, badly. You were one of the most powerful witches in our generation... no one crossed you."

"Witches... Aren't you a little old to say that?" Jean laughed and then sighed. "Was I really that bad?"

"No, not really," Ginny said trying her hardest not to let Hermione see how nervous she was with her witch slip, it really was too early to tell Hermione about all that. She couldn't believe that she had said that in the first place... it was just so hard to be here with Hermione and not be able to talk about that. "You were wonderful to be around... just not someone to cross."

"What else about me?" Jean asked suddenly dying to know more about herself. She wanted to see if she was really the same person she used to be or if she had lost more than just her memory. So far Hermione sounded similar to herself, she could be quite formidable when she wanted to be, which is why her boss... er... co-worker now, had said that she would make an excellent lawyer someday (which should be coming up in a few months). And yet she really had a bleeding heart, she always loved working on cases with people that were struggling with life and just need an extra hand to make it through. She was definitely considering working at the small office (an off branch of the law firm she worked for now) where it dealt with cases mostly like that, even though she knew that she wouldn't be making that much money, it was something that she would really love doing.

"Let see, you're smart, but I'm sure you have figured that out," Ginny smiled at her friend that blushed at that looking proud, but trying not to show it. "You love reading, everything that you could get your hands on (Jean rolled her eyes at that and Ginny took that as meaning that she did the same now), you were the top student in most of your class..."

"Most..." Jean said almost pouting, she had never been anything but the best at her University.

"Well Harry and Neville were kind of almost geniuses in one subject... er different subjects than each other, but they kind of had you beat in that," Ginny said, really hoping the Hermione didn't ask what subjects they were because she really didn't want to lie to the girl. "You were right behind them, and were top in everything else I think, and you definitely had the highest average in school by a fair margin."

"I guess that's okay," Jean sighed.

"You haven't changed much there," Ginny laughed. "I can still remember you glaring at Harry every time he did better than you in anything. And let me tell you that didn't happen often."

"I could believe that," Jean laughed, she remembered the one time that Matt had gotten a better grade than her in the class they had shared, it wasn't a pretty sight. Though he didn't really let her overly competitive nature affect his mood (and she admitted that she loved seeing that proud smirk on his face almost as much as she hated it).

"I bet," Ginny chuckled. "Now let's see where was I, oh yeah, you're brave, determined, have a wicked sense of humor but you don't use it that much, caring... frankly you're the best friend that anyone can ask for..."

"Thanks," Jean smiled sadly, not sure if she could live up to the person she used to be, but trying to convince herself that she really didn't need to (it was something that she had learned in the group therapy session that she still goes to from time to time). "So can you tell me more about the people in my life... like... er... was I _close_ to anyone?"

"Er... yeah, you were close to a lot of people," Ginny said trying to buy some time to think about what she should say.

"Gin, you know what I meant," Jean said exasperated.

"What makes you think that I didn't just answer that question," Ginny laughed, it was surreal to be able to tease Hermione like this again, made all the better because she even got her friend to blush at that.

"Be serious Gin," Jean whined.

"Okay, so you had one sort of boyfriend in fourth year and one date with a real prick in sixth year that you only went out with to make someone else jealous," Ginny said smiling ear to ear as she watched Hermione shake her head disgust.

"I actually did that," Jean groaned.

"It really wasn't that bad," Ginny laughed. "Besides, my prat of a brother started it by going out with a total... well at the time, I though of her as a ditz, but she's really not so bad... Anyways, he went out with her when he..."

"I liked your brother," Jean groaned again, she could see that Ginny obviously thought something of that relationship.

"Yeah, since like the end of second year at least," Ginny smiled. "Though mum is under the impression that you two fell for each other when you first met."

"So he was my boyfriend," Jean frowned, she could now imagine this guy, the red haired little boy she still dreams about, and remembered the redheaded man she used to dream and think about all the time before she met Matt. She could see him frantically looking for her, only to have five years of waiting to learn that she had moved on. She felt really bad for him because she knew that no matter how much she had loved this Ron guy, her best friend, she wouldn't want Matt any less than she did.

"No," Ginny frowned. "You two were never on the same page. You finally did kiss on the night you were taken, but you were never together." Jean let out a breath at this point, hoping that it was just a passing crush or something like that, however Ginny thinking that she was sighing sadly added, "But, that doesn't mean that you two weren't close. I don't know what happened, I didn't really get the chance to see you much the last year, but when I did, you two acted completely different with each other; like you got rid of all your fears of being with the other... I don't know, all I know is that you loved my brother and he loved you."

"Great, I'm sure my husband is going to like to hear that," Jean sighed, knowing that Matt would indeed hate hearing this (she would feel inadequate if Matt had someone else).

"Yeah right," Ginny said laughing, but upon noticing that Hermione wasn't laughing too, just giving her a sad smile, she felt her stomach drop. "You're serious."

"Yeah," Jean said smiling albeit sadly.

"How... what..." Ginny said starting to stammer, she couldn't believe that Hermione would get married at all, but especially not to someone that wasn't her brother.

"Sorry," Jean sighed, not knowing what else to say.

"No..." Ginny said trying to gather herself from the second shock of the day. She felt crushed by the news that Hermione was married (and that she wasn't even there to see it) but she couldn't be mad at Hermione, and she couldn't blame her. There was nothing wrong with Hermione trying to make a life for herself during the five years that she had been missing. "Don't be sorry about that."

"I just feel like I've already let you down," Jean admitted.

"Well don't," Ginny sighed. "I can't say that I didn't want you to end up with my brother not only because you were perfect together, but because you would really be my sister then, but that doesn't mean that I'm not happy for you. Especially seeing as you could have been anywhere, having any kind of horrid life and all it was, was being married to a man that doesn't deserve you."

"Matt's a wonderful man!" Jean said in a huff.

"I'm sure he is," Ginny laughed, it was still so easy to get to her. "The true test to that is what he would say to that statement."

"He would agree with you in a second," Jean rolled her eyes. "He's constantly telling me that he doesn't deserve me."

"Really?" Ginny said uncomfortably.

"Gin?" Jean questioned suddenly remember something when Ginny had mentioned a horrid life. "How was I taken?"

"You know you were taken?" Ginny said very uncomfortable and not quite sure what to say about that, but knowing that she needed more time to do that.

"It was sort of... obvious when I woke up," Jean said biting her lip.

"It's rather a personal conversation," Ginny sighed, looking around at the busy street.

"Right," Jean sighed, she expected something like that. "But mostly I had a good life right... one worth remembering?"

"Of course," Ginny said now even more worried than ever... how bad was Hermione's condition when she woke up? "I'm not going to lie to you, there were things in your life that were difficult... but Mione everyone has been looking for you since you've disappeared... you have friends and family that love you very much."

"Right," Jean sighed again, this time looking relieved.

"So do you want to go someplace more private?" Ginny asked, not really wanting to let Hermione out of her sight now that she has found her.

"Actually I think it's best if we continue this tomorrow or something," Jean said biting her lip again. She really did want to talk to this girl more, find out everything about herself, but at the same time she knew she would have to talk to Matt first, to get him prepared for this. Not to mention, it was Matt's birthday today and she knew how much he loves just being with family. At that thought, she realized that she had been sitting here for more than an hour and Matt was going to be worried about her if she didn't get home soon. "Ginny, I've really got to go."

"Okay," Ginny said her face falling for a second before she realized that this might be a good thing, that way she could tell Harry, and he'll be there tomorrow, which would be good seeing as he knew so much more about Hermione's life, especially the last year of it (and the early years too now since he's been seeing the Grangers on a regular basis). "As long as you give me your address," she finally said, though she did cast a spell on Hermione so that she could know where she was going for the next twenty four hours when Hermione was looking for her business card.

"Sure," Jean said handing it to her.

"Ha... you do work at Summer's Law," Ginny said smirking smugly. "I thought that sounded like something that you would do."

"Er what?" Jean said looking at the other girl curiously.

"Oh, it's just that's the reason why I decided to look for you here today," Ginny smirked. "I just thought it was nice to know that I was right this time... Though of course it's only like the hundredth time that I've looked for you at a law firm, but still..."

"So I was interested in law when you knew me," Jean smiled, liking that she was still who she was no matter if she was Jean or Hermione.

"Yeah," Ginny smiled. "You could do just about anything that you wanted, but you mentioned wanting to do that... saying it was a way for you to help people that needed you."

"That sounds like me," Jean smiled. "Well it's been nice to meet you... and I can't wait to find out more about myself later... oh and I suppose it would be nice to know more about you and the others too."

"Okay, see you tomorrow," Ginny said and hugged Hermione goodbye.

**A/N: Okay now that Hermione (and Ron soon too) are going to be around people that know them ****the whole naming thing is going to be odd. I'm going to have Hermione think of herself as Jean still (and Ron think he's Matt) even when she talks it's going to be Jean talking, but that's just because they don't really know themselves yet. And of course I'm going to have everyone else think of them as Ron and Hermione and that's what they will be calling them too. I hope it's not too confusing, and I hope you like the chapter. **


	17. Good News

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters.**

**Update 11/29/2010**

Chapter Seventeen

Good News

When Jean walked into her flat, she had a huge smile on her face. It was so amazing knowing something, anything about herself that she couldn't help it. It also didn't hurt that Matt (even though he still had black hair at the moment) was standing at the stove (seeming to be just about done with dinner) and Arthur was in his chair (they had allowed him to use a regular chair four months ago and he still seems to want to prove to them that he could handle it himself). She smiled as she watched them from the doorway to the kitchen and loved to see Matt's face light up when he saw her.

"Finally you're here," he said, causing Arthur to look up at her and smile. "I was starting to worry."

"Yeah... Daddy burn spageti, look clock lots," Arthur laughed.

"Come one bud, you knew that was between us," Matt pouted and Arthur clasped his hand over his month.

"Sori Daddy," Arthur bit his lip.

"It's okay love, mommy doesn't care if he burnt the spaghetti," Jean smiled as she wrapped her arms around her son and kissed him on the head.

"That's only because it's a hundred times better than anything you could cook, even if it is burnt," Matt chuckled as she place the spaghetti and garlic bread on the table (the salad was already there).

"I wouldn't go that far," Jean glared at her husband and son, who were both laughing at her.

"So what kept you so busy all day?" Matt asked while he was chewing his bread.

"Don't talk with your mouth full!" Jean glared meaningfully this time and glanced at Arthur.

Matt swallowed; it was a bad whenever Arthur picked up one of his bad habits because Jean always came down on him hard when it happened. He too glanced at his son, hoping the kid wouldn't start talking with his mouth full because he would never hear the end of this one, and then said, "Are you going to answer?"

"Oh, I met a friend on my way home from work," Jean shrugged trying not so show how excited she was about this.

"Really... who?" Matt asked truly confused. Neither Jean nor him had made many friends over the last five years and most of the people that she would talk to were people she worked with, but it didn't seem like them, or Josh or Rachel, because she would have called them by name.

"Ginny," Jean said simply.

"Ginny?" Matt said, the name being both familiar and new, at the very least he's knew that she's never spoken about a Ginny before (and yet at the same time the name sounded so familiar). "Is she a new friend?"

"No... she's an old friend," Jean said the corner of her mouth twitching (she was so excited at the moment she could easy have jumped out of her chair).

"Really... you mean from before you met me," Matt said, confident in the fact that his wife would have told him about this girl if that weren't the case.

"I'd say," Jean said her eyes now twinkling with merriment. "And yet I just met her today."

"Hmph," Matt narrowed his eyes at his wife and her odd behavior, noticing that she truly was in a good mood today. "You said she was your friend."

"Indeed she is," Jean smiled, and she really meant that, she liked Ginny already and not just because Ginny knew who she use to be, but because she liked Ginny's personality. "But I would say that she was Hermione's friend longer."

"And who is Hermione?" Matt asked his eyes having gone round, he had a very good feeling where this was leading.

"Me!" Jean said with enthusiasm and beamed at her husband.

"You found someone that knows you!" Matt said getting up and went to hug her immediately. "Jean that's Fu... Fricking brilliant!"

"I know," Jean said as she happily hugged her husband back.

"What means?" Arthur said from his chair looking at his parents like they might have gone crazy... or like he really wanted to join in, though he liked to know why they were both so happy. Arthur had always been a curious boy and wanted to know everything, especially when it has to do with something that made his parents happy like this. They had told their son about not really knowing about their past, Jean never wanting to deny him any piece of information as long as he asked about it (Arthur had asked why he didn't have a grandparents like the other kids have after he was babysat six months ago by the nice elderly couple a few doors away). However, it wasn't really a concept that he could fully understand at the moment.

"It means mommy knows who she is now," Jean said going to her son and whirling him around and bring him into a hug. "And maybe soon you'll be able to meet your grandma and grandpa."

"Huu..." Arthur gasped excitedly. "Really!"

"Yeah," Jean smiled.

"So you have parents," Matt said almost nervous of what they would think of him.

"Naturally... And they have been looking for me along with Ginny and Harry... my supposed best friends."

"Tell me more," Matt said as they went back to the table to finish their dinner.

"There's not much more to tell," Jean frowned thinking back to the talk she had a few hours ago. "I was only able to talk to her for an hour..."

"You could have brought her home," Matt said, he would have liked to have meet this girl who was supposed to have been his wife's best friend.

"I didn't want to impose on you," Jean sighed and Matt raised his eyebrows suspiciously at that.

"Fine, I just wanted to be the one to tell you..." she said as she placed her hand on his thigh. "Is there something wrong with sharing exciting news like this with my husband alone?"

"Not at all," Matt smiled at her as her hand went up his thigh. "And it looks like dinner is done with..."

"Now cake," Arthur cheered he had seen the bag that Jean had brought in when she first got here.

"Arthur's right love, it's time for cake," Jean smirked at him. "Do you want to get it or should I?"

"I don't know where it is," Matt glared at his beautiful wife.

"Are you sure that's the only reason?" she leaned in to whisper into his ear, her hand still on his upper thigh lightly touching him. She could hear his intake of breath at her actions so she lightly bit his ear lope before she went to get the cake. She could feel his eyes on her while her back was turned and she loved it, especially when she turned around and she could see the lust and fire in his eyes. "Here you go... and here's the candles... Are you ready Arthur?"

"Redy," Arthur said.

"Okay," Jean said and then the two of them sung Happy Birthday to Matt. Again, as soon as Jean had sat down after handing out cake, she placed her hand on Matt's upper thigh, and he really couldn't take much more of that.

"Bed time little bud," Matt nearly shouted as soon as his son was finished with his piece of cake. Arthur dramatically looked at the kitchen clock to see if that was indeed true and his head fell when he realized it was. Without a word of complaint Arthur got up and rushed for the bathroom.

"What do you think you're doing?" he hissed at his wife as soon as his son was gone.

"Sorry love, I can't seem to be able to keep my hands off you," Jean said smirking at him for a second before she leaned into him and kissed him hard.

"Mine..." Matt groaned as he pulled away from her a few minutes later, he seriously contemplated shagging her brains out right there, but he didn't want to traumatize their son when he came back from the bathroom.

"Ummmm..." Jean said with a satisfied smile. "There is something that I've learned today that I think you should know."

"What's that?" Matt said as he held her closely to his chest (she was now sitting on his lap).

"My name," Jean said.

"Hermione right..." Matt said. "Isn't that what you said?"

"Yeah," Jean smiled at him. "Hermione Jean Granger."

"Jean," Matt laughed. "You're middle name is actually Jean... no wonder you liked it so much."

"Yeah but..." Jean started.

"And Granger... that might just explain why you picked the awful name Jean Green," Matt laughed seeing as his wife was now making a face at him. "You just felt comfortable with the Gr... to start you're last name."

"I guess," Jean huffed. "But I wanted to tell you my nickname!"

"And what is that... Hermy," Matt laughed and Jean made a face.

"If you knew what's good for you won't call me that again," Jean threatened. "No, it's Mione."

"Oh," Matt said caught off guard at that, but soon he was smiling broadly. "I like Mione."

"I do too," Jean said her insides squirming more than they ever had before as he said that name. "It makes me think of you..."

"Hmmmm... does it now Mione," Matt smirked, it hadn't gone past his notice the look in her eyes as he called her that. He leaned up to kiss her again...

"I done," Arthur said running back into the room. "Story-time!"

"Why don't you get in bed and I'll be right there," Jean said smiling at him as he left the room and then turned back to her husband. "And why don't you go to our bedroom and I'll be there in half an hour."

"Fine, but you better not be a second late," Matt growled. "You know it's not good to lie to a man of the law."

"Um... your evidence would be circumstantial at best," Jean smirked as she got up. "It would never hold in a court of law..."

"Who needs a court," Matt smirked as he smacked her arse as she walked away. "I can think of plenty of ways to punish you without that."

"Oooohh... are you trying to make me hurry or not," Jean smirked at him and rushed off to her son's room. "So which book today love?"

"Wizer of Oz," Arthur said, he already had the book on his bed. He really loved any book that dealt with magic, though when his father read to him he always chose a shorter book where his dad could make a silly voice at. So Jean picked up the book, loving reading the story too, seeing as she hadn't before and finding that she loved all the children books she read to her son. She had almost gotten to the end of the chapter they were on when Arthur started to drop off and she smiled and kissed him on the forehead. "Goodnight love."

"Goodnite mum..." he answered sleepily and a few seconds later, he was asleep, and she quickly ran to her bedroom where her husband was waiting for her.

O

As soon as Hermione had left her at the bakery, after making sure exactly where Hermione was staying (she was pleased and not surprised to see it was exactly where Hermione said it would be) she Apparated home. Now she wasn't quite sure what she expected to see there, but she really hoped that it wouldn't be the mess that was indeed in front of her. It looked like Harry had stayed home and drank again this year.

"Harry!" she called.

"Yeah," she heard the answer coming from the bedroom. As soon as he saw her, Harry could tell that something happened today. He ignored the worried look she had on her face at the state of him (he was rather drunk after all, but not nearly as drunk as he had been in the past on this date). He had decided that he really shouldn't be going into work today; his head wasn't into anything but brooding on this day and he would just be a danger to himself and Neville if he worked. Anyways, he could see something in her eyes that hadn't been there a lot over the last five years. "What happened?"

"What do you think happened!" Ginny said excitedly, the worried look gone completely because she knew that she didn't have any reason to be worried she was really going to cheer Harry up with her news. "You really should have come with me today."

"Ginny don't mess with me right now," Harry said his heart pounding in his chest, he could see the answer in her eyes.

"I'm not messing with you love!" Ginny said looking straight into Harry's eyes. "I've found Hermione!"

Harry dropped the glass that was in his hand in pure shock. His heart was trying to beat its way out of his chest as he looked at his smiling girlfriend telling him that she had found one of the people that a part of him truly thought he had lost forever. Still, he couldn't move, not even an inch as waves of happiness raked through his body.

"Harry," Ginny said worried after she had waited five minutes for him to say something.

"You found her," Harry said bowing his head crying a little in his joy. "You really found her."

"Yep," Ginny said smugly now, but she also wrapped her arms around him, knowing that he really needed her support at the moment. "And you never believed that I would."

"That's not true," Harry said pulling her closer to him. She had given him so much since the final battle, a reason to really live, the ability to still smile after everything that's happened in his life, but this was by far the best thing that she could ever have done. "I just thought it was highly unlikely... there's a big difference there."

"Whatever," Ginny giggled.

"Hey wait, Gin... if you found her, why are you here... or did you bring her with you..." Harry said looking around his girlfriend hopefully.

"She had to go home... er," Ginny said biting lip, no sure how to tell him this next part, he was going to have a harder time believing it than she did.

"And you didn't insist on going with her!" Harry said looking at her skeptically.

"I wanted you to be there," Ginny said trying to buy some time.

"Right," Harry said actually laughing at that and she had to admit that she would never have left Hermione just so that Harry would be there too; she would have just sent him a Patronus or something like that.

"She had to go home to celebrate her husband's birthday... I didn't want to impose myself on her," Ginny sighed.

"WHAT?" Harry said, his mouth dropping. Hermione married! That can't be. He was supposed to be there if and when she got married. And what about Ron? What are they going to do when they find Ron and Hermione is married to some other bloke?

"I know," Ginny said, she could read all the questions he had; she had thought the same things when Hermione had told her.

"What's she like?" Harry asked, his voice still shaky, he was hoping that what Ginny tells him next will help him feel better. "Is she the same old Mione?"

"Mostly," Ginny smiled as she thought of the girl that she had met a little more than two hours ago. "She's a lawyer..."

"You don't have to sound so smug... so you found her in that law firm of yours," Harry smiled at her.

"Nope, I met her on the way to the law firm," Ginny said. "She was coming out of this bakery and I ran into her... I literally ran into Hermione Granger..." she added finding that fact funny.

"After years of searching and you just run into her coming out of a bakery," Harry laughed.

"Well it wasn't as simple as that," Ginny pouted. "And she did work at the law firm I thought she would."

"Okay love, what happened next?" Harry smiled and kissed the top of her head.

"We talked, that's about it," Ginny said.

"Gin!" Harry said exasperated before he tickled her a little, causing her to giggle.

"Okay, okay," Ginny laughed. "Let's see, she has been going by Jean..."

"That figures," Harry chuckled.

"She looks really good," Ginny went on like she hadn't heard him. "Her hair is a little shorter... about here (Ginny said holding her hand to her about two inches above her shoulders and Harry rolled his eyes at that; he honesty couldn't care less what her hair looked like), and it seemed like she's has grown into herself... she really beautiful now..."

Ginny then stopped, she had thought of something that Harry would really like, she put her wand to her head and took out the memory of the moment she had seen Hermione and put it into the pensive that Harry had gotten when he started this case so he could sort through his thoughts to see if he could find anything in them. Harry walked over to look at the memory that Ginny had just pulled out. The first thing he noticed were her eyes, the ones that he's known since he was eleven, they showed her warmth and intellect and he couldn't help the smile that was brought to his face. Then he noticed everything else, he could easily make out his friends features, everything was there down to her slightly bushy hair, and yet a lot of things where a little different. He smiled even wider as he looked at the image, Hermione Granger who was always self conscious of her features had truly grown to be beautiful, inside and out.

"Why didn't you just show me the whole memory," Harry said his eyes still on the image, tears were suddenly in his eyes again.

"I wanted to tell," Ginny said wrapping her arms around him again and lead him back to the bed.

"Okay, so tell on," Harry smiled.

"She mostly asked about herself," Ginny said.

"That's understandable," Harry said.

"And I told her about her parents a little," Ginny said. "Then about you and Ron..."

"You told her about Ron?" Harry asked, looking hopeful that she would remember his best friend, though at the same time knowing that it might be better for her not to, what with her having a stupid husband and all.

"Yeah... she didn't remember him any more than she remembered anything else," Ginny sighed. "And she didn't take their whole love story very well..."

"I wouldn't think so," Harry sighed, not really wanting to dwell on that part anymore. "What else?"

"I don't know, that was basically it," Ginny said. "She asked about how she was taken..."

"What did you tell her?" Harry said stiffening.

"That it was a private conversation," Ginny said. "I'm supposed to meet her tomorrow."

"Tomorrow!" Harry exclaimed. "We're going to see her tomorrow!"

"That's right," Ginny smiled. "Do you think that we should tell everyone that we've found her?"

"Of course," Harry said. "But I think it could wait a day."

"Good, because I could think of other things that I want to do right now," Ginny smirked at him.

"So can I," Harry said and kissed her hard.

O

"That was amazing love," Matt said breathing heavily as stroking her hair like he did ever time she was in his arms. "Maybe you could find out who you were every day."

"I would if I could," she chuckled as she snuggled closer to him. "But just think about how good it will be when you figure out who you are..."

"I'll be waiting in anticipation until that day comes," he said squeezing her tighter to him.

They laid contentedly in each others arms for almost an hour before Matt spoke again, his greatest fear coming to him as he laid there. "Mine," he whispered nervous, almost hoping that she was asleep.

"Yeah," she said stiffening slightly, there was only one thing that could be one his mind at the moment and she knew she wasn't going to like it.

He sighed, but he had to ask now, "Did you have any boyfriends?"

"I had one boyfriend, one guy I used and one... something that wasn't easy to define," she said softly, she knew that he was going to react bad to this news whenever she chose to tell him and the sooner that happened, the better. She was going to convince him that he was the only man for her.

"Hmmm..." he groaned not liking the sounds of the last one. "Tell me more about this indefinable boy."

She bit her lip and closed her eyes; he really was going to take this hard. "He was one of my best friends... we never went out, but according to Ginny, we were in love..."

"Right," he said gravely, he really was hoping that she didn't have anyone waiting for her. "And what's his name?" he had to force himself to ask, even managing to keep his voice even.

"Ron," she said barely above a whisper (bracing herself for his outburst), she knew he heard her.

"Hmph," he said as he hands dropped and he was filled with anger by that. "You named our fucking son after him."

"I didn't know that," she said in a trembling voice. "You know I didn't know that Matt."

"That didn't fucking stop you from falling in love with the fucking name!" Matt hissed. "Gushing all over it."

"It was familiar Matt... it didn't have anything to do with him..." she said trying hard not to cry at this, she could feel him trying to push away from her, so she clung to him as hard as she could.

"Didn't have anything to do with him," he scoffed. "It had everything to do with him! I bet everything about us has something to do with him... What does he look like... this wanker that you love..."

"That doesn't matter... none of that matters..." she said really crying this time and he could feel the tears on his chest but it didn't stop him from shouting at her... it didn't make him any less angry or hurt.

"Tell me what he looks like..." he said in his cold detached voice he used when he was interrogating a suspect.

"He has red hair and blue eyes," she said trying her best to use her professional voice, if he was going to act detached so could she.

"I'm just a replacement for him," he muttered to himself, he really was living his worst fears.

"That's not true," she said breaking down again, she could let him think that for a second. "You're the love of my life... I don't care who..."

"Don't fool yourself Jean, I'm just the lucky bastard that got you knocked up," he said, he couldn't stand her patronizing him like that. "If it wasn't for Arthur we would never have been together."

She looked at him shocked and hurt beyond belief at what he just said; how could he honesty think that after three and a half years of being married to her? Her arms went limp and she turned away from him crawling into a ball, starting to breath heavily, as the pain in her chest started to build.

He sat still after he yelled that, it had killed him to say that thinking that he would see it confirmed in her eyes somehow but all he saw was pain. In that moment, he could really see the truth and he knew that he just crossed a line, that he just said something that was worse than stabbing a knife in her heart. "Mine... I didn't mean it," he said his voice truly grave now. He put his hand on her but she just pushed it off. "Please, Mine... I'm sorry..." he said trying again, but she just pushed him off again.

"Don't touch me," she said curling more into herself, she could just hear the last thing he said... if is wasn't for Arthur we would never have been together... Was that really the reason why they were together? Did she misunderstand when he constantly asked her to marry him? Was he just trying to do the right thing by marrying her?

He was watching her, not sure what he should do. Was it better to just let her be like she said she wanted to be, or did he need to comfort her? When she let out a sob he knew that he no longer had a choice, he wasn't going to let her cry when he was here; she could kick him out of here if she wanted to but he wasn't going to let her cry. So he put his arms around her and pulled her closely to his chest; she put up a struggle at first but she really didn't have any fight in her at the moment so she gave in. "I'm so sorry love... I didn't mean it," he kept whispering to her.

"Is that why you married me?" she asked as she turned her head so she could face him.

"I asked you to marry me because I love you," he said looking straight into her eyes. "Tell me you know that."

"Then why do you think that I didn't do the same?" she sobbed now turning her whole body so she could rest her head on his chest.

"Because I've never deserved your love," he said. "And I've been so afraid that you would have some better guy off in the wings willing and able to sweep you away from me."

"Matt," she moan talking in a shaky breath. "It doesn't matter how many guys are willing and able to sweep me up... no one could ever get me away from you."

"Jean," he said pulling her even closer to him and resting his head on top of hers, as tears slide down his check.

"And I never want to hear you say you don't deserve me again," she said shifting her head to look into his eyes. "You are a good man and deserve everything you got and more."

"I love you," he said cupping her checks and kissing her.

"I love you too," she said.


	18. Meeting Harry

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters.**

**Update 11/29/2010**

Chapter Eighteen

Meeting Harry

The next morning Harry woke up very early, in fact, he only slept about two hours before he rushed out of bed and started to make breakfast. He had his coffee ready and halfway through his meal when Ginny came into the room looking tired but excited too. "Here you go love," Harry said smiling at her and handing her a plate full of food.

"Looks good," Ginny smiled back. "But don't you think that it's a little early..."

"Maybe," Harry said honestly not knowing what time it was. "How early is it..."

"Harry the sun's not even up," Ginny laughed. "That should have told you how early it is. It's only five in the morning."

"Argh," Harry groaned. "So how early do you think that we can show up at Hermione's flat?"

"Eight at the earliest," Ginny smiled but sighed at the same time.

Harry and Ginny tried to talk about anything for the next few hours before they could go to see Hermione but nothing seemed to get their minds off seeing her and the hours passed agonizingly slow. Finally at 7:30, they couldn't wait any longer so they apparated to a safe spot in Manchester and then headed off to where Hermione lived, getting at her flat at quarter til. Not being able to wait even fifteen minutes longer (and figuring that Hermione had always been an early riser), Harry knocked on the door.

O

"Argh..." Matt groaned. He was holding his wife and having a great dream, until he started hearing the pounding sound. "What is that?"

"Just ignore it," Jean said snuggling closer to her husband.

"It's not going away," Matt groaned a few moments later and looked at the clock seeing that it was 8:10, "Who would bother someone this early in the morning?"

"I don't know," Jean said sleepily and then she sat up. "Oh..."

"What?" Matt said rubbing his eyes as he watched his wife put on his boxers and shirt. "What's going on?"

"I think it might be Ginny," Jean said a little excited, nervous and annoyed all in one.

"Oh," Matt sighed. "I guess I should get up too."

"Yeah," Jean said smiling at her already snoring husband.

When she got to the living room she saw that Arthur was on a chair trying to open the door and her heart fell.

"Arthur!" Jean yelled and grabbed him, knocking down the chair. "What do you think you are doing?"

Arthur didn't say anything as he bit his lip looking at her with teary eyes.

"Arthur you can't just open the door..." Jean said still harshly; she was just too worried about what might have happened, though she had a good idea who was on the other side of the door and Arthur wasn't in real danger, but that didn't mean that she could let him think it was okay to open a door like this (who knew who could be there if this happened again). However, upon seeing her son starting to cry she sighed. "Oh Arthur," she said pulling him into her arms tightly and he buried his head into her chest. "I'm sorry love..."

"Why it bad?" Arthur asked, his voice small, he never liked getting yelled at and it's not something that happened often.

"Because you don't know who's out there," Jean smiled and kissed the top of Arthur's head, he was still burring it in her chest. "They might want to take you away from me..." she added and he started to shake a little. "Don't worry love I've got you. Do you want to see who's at the door?"

He shook his head.

"Come on love, I know you want to know," Jean smiled at him and at that moment there was another impatient knock at the door. "Who is it?"

"Ginny," a voice on the other side of the door said, sounding very annoyed.

"See love, it's mommy's friend," Jean smiled and Arthur turned his head to look at the door, looking curious again, but he was still shy because he was just yelled at. Jean smiled at him again as she carried him to the door and opened it.

"Finally," Ginny said and then her mouth dropped when she saw Hermione standing there with a kid in her arms. A kid that looked remarkable like her brother (all her brothers really but mostly like Ron), with his red hair (that was a little darker than the Weasleys' but not my much) that was a little wavy and remarkably blue eyes.

"Hello," Jean had to smile at her friends reaction, Ginny mouth was literally hanging open. "Sorry... we don't normally wake up this early on Saturdays."

"Oh... sorry," Ginny said still keeping her eyes on the kid. "He's adorable... how old is he?" she asked, he just had to be Ron's son... maybe things had progressed a lot farther than anyone would have guess. They were gone for hours before they were taken after all.

"He's three," Jean answered smiling smugly at her friend.

"Oh," Ginny said, a little disappointed but pushed it off for now... she couldn't help herself she really wanted to hold the adorable boy in Hermione's arms. "Can I hold him?"

"What do you think Arthur?" Jean asked her son that was looking shyly at the red hair girl.

"Hm... it doesn't seem that he wants to," Ginny frowned dramatically. "He's a little shy."

"Actually he's not really shy at all... he loves meeting new people," Jean said. "He's just a little upset at the moment..."

"Okay," Arthur said looking up at Ginny, he never seen anyone that had the same color hair as him and his father. He smiled at her, but looked at his mum one last time to make sure that it was okay (she nodded encouragingly) and he held his arms out.

"Hello... Arthur was it?" Ginny said taking him in her arms and smiling broadly at him. I wonder if he was somehow named after dad, she thought to herself as she walked into the flat and sat on the couch. She looked up and noticed that there was a guy in the kitchen looking like he was making himself breakfast. She didn't know why, it was so unlikely that Hermione would have somehow found Ron and married him (though it seemed just as unlikely that Hermione would marry anyone else), but with her son looking so much like her brother she was almost hopeful that he just might be there. The first, and only thing that she noticed about the man was that his hair was black, her heart fell at that but she looked back down at Arthur and she couldn't help but smile at the boy.

Jean, in the mean time watched them as they passed but as soon as they did she turned to look at the other person that was standing at the door. She just looked at him for a moment, feeling very odd indeed. It was almost like the way she felt when she had first met Matt but it was different at the same time. She felt comfortable with him, without him even saying anything, and she knew that he was the boy that she had dreamed about and that he was very important to her.

Harry, for his part, was just looking at her, very nervous and thinking that she wouldn't have recognized him at all. Okay so he was feeling like this was the best day of his life because he actually had Hermione Granger standing in front of him, looking healthy and happy. He took a step towards her, not sure what to do next, he wanted to hug her... hold her tightly to him to make sure she was real, but he didn't know if he could.

"Harry," Jean said weakly, somehow she knew who it was... she didn't know everything but she knew enough. She ran at him and hugged him, tears actually coming to her eyes as she wrapped her arms around him.

"Hermione," Harry moaned and held her tightly to him and smiled watery into her hair. "You remember me..."

"I wouldn't say that," Jean said her voice muffled. "But I know you're someone important to me..." she added pulling away smiling at him. "I've dreamed about you."

"Oh... so I'm the man of your dreams am I," Harry smiled feeling content that she had somewhat remembered him.

"Hmph," a voice in the kitchen was heard and everyone looked towards it to see Matt, with his back turned to them.

"Don't mind him, he just jealous," Jean said rolling her eyes at her husband... she could see that he was going to sulk in the kitchen and be very anti-social.

Matt was looking at his cereal bowl, he had come into the living room when Jean had first opened the door. When he had seen the girl, Ginny, walk into the flat with his son his heart stopped; she looked so familiar that he had almost hoped that it was someone that he knew. But he shook that off; it wasn't very likely that he would know this girl too. That's when he noticed the guy standing in the door way. He hadn't had dreams of his past as his wife had, but he did have familiar feeling about certain things and he was sure it was about things that he had once knew. The girl felt familiar, she felt very familiar, but he pushed that off as wishful thinking because of the way that she looked (he thought that he just wanted her to be family). But it was different when he looked at the man; it was like he knew he was important. And then he had to say that he was the man of Jean's dreams and it really didn't bloody matter if Matt knew him or not, he was a bloody idiot!

"Oh, but I guess I should introduce you," Jean said after she had closed the door. Harry had taken a seat next to Ginny and Arthur (looking closely at her son with a smile that was happy and sad at the same time). "Matt these are my friends Harry and Ginny and this is my husband Matt."

"It's nice to meet you," Harry said looking at the man that was in the kitchen hardly looking at them.

"Yeah," Matt grunted (not sounding like himself at all).

Ginny laughed a little at that reaction, the guy really did remind her of her brother, the way that he was sulking in the kitchen like that. She had looked up at him again and thought she saw familiar blue eyes but he looked away before she could be sure.

"Well that's nice," Jean said glaring at her husband's back; he was going to get an earful when they were alone. Then again, she really did want to hear what they have to say and it was better that he was staying away if he was going to be mopey like this.

"So tell us about your life Mione," Harry said. "How you've been holding up?"

"But I wanted to hear more about you," Jean said.

"I suppose the best way to work this is for us to ask one question each," Ginny said.

"Hm... that means that you get two questions and I only get one," Jean frowned.

"I ask question too," Arthur said.

"All right then," Jean smiled at her son and how excited he seemed in Ginny's arms. "Do you want to go first Arthur?"

"Yes," Arthur said. "Gin-ney, why your hair red."

Ginny mouth pulled tight, she was trying not to laugh at the innocent question, and then smiled kindly at him. "All of my family has this color hair; all six of my brothers, my parents and even all of my cousins."

"Wow, you have six brothers!" Jean said her eyes going wide.

"Yeah, I thought I forgot to mention that... or talk about my family at all," Ginny smiled. "But I think it's my turn to ask a question now."

"Okay," Jean shrugged it looked like she had a million questions racing around her head, but she was willing to play their game.

"So, what have you been doing the last five years?" Ginny asked.

"That's a rather big question... don't you think it's more fair if you break it down a little?" Jean said.

"Fine," Ginny said thoughtfully, she thought that she got a good question now, one that would tell her a lot even though it sounded boring. "How did you become a lawyer?"

"Good question," Jean said smiling at her, she was going to have to say a lot to answer that question so Ginny was going to get mostly what she wanted. "My friend that had hit me with a car..."

"What?" Harry and Ginny exclaimed. "You were hit my a car!"

"I don't have to answer that, it wasn't you're question after all," Jean smirked at their incredulously faces.

"You're right, she is mean," Harry pouted and Hermione just smirked more. "Carry on."

"So anyway, my friend Josh's dad works at... er... owns a law firm," Jean said. "The one that you found me at Gin, and Josh was able to get me a job there. I really love the work, though of course I was just a filing clerk at first and then an assistant. I learned a lot there and I knew that was want I wanted to do so that's what I decided to do when I went to school..."

"So you were already going to go to school," Harry said looking like he was about to ask another question but he stopped... her smirk was telling him that he wasn't going to get an answer.

"It took four years for me to finish, only taking a semester off when this little guy was born," Jean smiled at her son. "I was top of my class and graduated with honors..."

"No surprise there," Harry muttered and they heard a snort from the kitchen.

Jean shot Harry a glare before saying, "and then it was rather easy for me to get a job at the law firm I've been working at for years. That's it really... though I don't technically become a lawyer for another month and a half."

"Well I'm proud of you," Harry said. "Though it's not that difficult thinking about you doing all this."

"Thanks," Jean blushed a little. "Now it's time for my turn to ask something. Well I really want to know why I was taken, but that seems to be a pretty big question and I'd rather be more at ease with things first. So how about, you tell me about your family Ginny... you said that they were close to me."

"Yeah, they are," Ginny said. "I guess I should start with my dad," she added smiling kindly at the boy that was still in her arms watching her just as interested as his mother seem to be. "Guess what his name is..."

"I don't..." Arthur started but he didn't miss the pointed look she was giving him. "Arthur!"

"Yes," Ginny smiled. "You have a really bright boy."

"I know," Jean said rubbing his head affectionately. "Arthur Ronald Williams is very bright..." she added knowing that Ginny and Harry would react to that information, which they both did by gasping and smiling, but she didn't hear Matt grumble about this (which she was pleased to see that he seemed to have let that go at least).

It took a little while for Ginny to gather herself from that information, it made her so happy and sad at the same time, but when she did she started described all she could about her family to Hermione, feeling a little weird that she had to but as she got further into it, she was pleased to see that Hermione seem to like everything that she heard. It was hard for her when she got to Fred, seeing as he was gone, so Harry had took the reins on that one and explained everything he could. However, when it came to Ron neither one seem to be able to say much... sure they described as much as they could, but couldn't go into much details.

Jean for her part smiled at most of what Ginny had to say about the family that had so obviously taken her in. She felt her heart dropped when they mentioned Fred's death and not just because of the obvious distress it was putting them through, but because she knew that it was a great loss to her. However, when they started talking about Ron she tensed and she hear Matt's breath catch in the kitchen and she sighed.

"How is he?" Jean just had to asked. "It must have been difficult for him with me being gone like this..."

Ginny's reply that Hermione would just have to wait for her next turned died in her throat at that. "What?"

"You don't know?" Harry said and looked incredulously at his girlfriend.

"I thought I told her," Ginny said going over everything she said when she had met Hermione yesterday, and wasn't sure if she had covered this or not.

"What... what did I miss?" Jean asked.

"Mione, Ron was taken too?" Harry said slowly.

"What?" Jean said and though she didn't have any idea who he was or how bad it would be for him, she felt her heart sink.

"We haven't seen him since May second either," Harry said. "We've been looking for you both for a long time... and it might be easier to find him now seeing as we..."

"Slow down... I think I'm missing something," Jean said looking confused, though she had shot a look over to Matt, thinking of how he was lost too. "I thought I was taken for awhile... and I ran away from them..."

"What are you talking about?" Ginny said furrowing her eyebrows.

"When I woke up from the car accident I couldn't remember anything," Jean said. "But the doctors said that there were some major injuries that weren't caused by the accident... he said that it looked like I had some major trauma that had recently recovered... within the last few months..."

Harry and Ginny exchanged a look, it seems like she was talking about what she went through at Malfoy Manor... that was when she thought she was taken...

"But you said that I was only gone for a day..." Jean said confused. "And I was running from someone when I was hit by Josh... At least that's what he said it looked like... I don't really remember, that's how I lost my memory."

"That's how you think you lost your memory," Harry said before he had time to think.

"How else would it have happened... I can't remember anything before I was hit," Jean said. "Tell me what happened to me..."

"That's hard to explain," Harry said frowning, it was hard to have her looking pleading at him and not give her what she wanted but he wasn't sure if she was ready to hear this. But ready or not it would have to be said soon, why not now. "We were in a fight... you, me and Ron were traveling together... a lot of things happened to us along the way, and that's where you got the trauma, but you weren't taken until the second of May."

"You're still not telling me something," Jean said looking at him suspiciously. "Like what kind of fight we were in... there weren't any wars in our time, none that I could have been involved in anyway..."

"Okay," Harry said taking a breath and smiling at her. "You've always been like this you know... trying to get to the bottom of a problem and not letting anything stop you until you do."

"Well I'm still like that," Jean smiled, but still looked at him firmly.

"This is big... and a long story... are you sure you're ready for this?" Ginny asked.

"I got go bathroom," Arthur said and started running to it, but stopped when he was half out of the living room. "Wait me."

"Okay love," Hermione smiled at him as he continued on his way.

"Are you sure you want him to hear all this?" Ginny asked as Harry got up, he wanted to talk to this Matt guy and get a better judge on who he was; he couldn't let just anyone be around Hermione.

"I don't think it's right to keep anything from him. If he's old enough to ask the question he's old enough to know the answer," Jean shrugged.

"I like that philosophy," Harry muttered with a sad smile but continued on his way.

"That's all fine until he asks you something that you really don't think he should know about," Ginny said.

"We'll see what I do when we get there," Jean shrugged.

"Do you mind if I sit down?" Harry asked the surly black hair man that was sitting at the kitchen table. "I kind of wanted to talk to you."

"Don't sit," Matt said getting up, and taking his cereal bowl to the sink before he turned around and made his way to his bedroom. "I think I'd like a private word..."

"Right," Harry said raising his eyebrows, the voice was oddly familiar and it was making his stomach jump but his couldn't be sure if he was hearing it right.

O

Matt sat on his bed waiting for Harry to follow, with his hand over his head thinking. It was definitely one of the strangest hours that he had ever went through listening to them all talk. It was kind of surreal for him to sit there listening to these voices that seemed to echo in his head, like he had heard them a million times before but he couldn't remember them.

And then at Jean's question... when Ginny had started describing her family it brought such warmth to his heart he thought that it was going to burst. But it wasn't just that, it was their names. He remembered when he was in the hospital a few days after the accident when he was thinking of names for himself, that he had picked everyone of them (even the weird one Percy) and it started him thinking that maybe... But he couldn't finish that thought because that was when Ginny had mentioned Fred and a pain went to the pit of his stomach like nothing he ever felt before and he felt like he had lost something so dear to him but had no idea what it was.

He wasn't really paying too much attention until Harry had said something about Ron being taken too, that he was lost out there somewhere and from the way that he made it sound, it was likely that he had lost his memory too. He was able to share a glance with Jean and he thought she was thinking the same thing, but she was sucked back into the conversation with the others and he listened with more care now. It was hard hearing that she had been through so much in her life, though he was a little miffed that Harry hadn't really said anything so he didn't know how bad it was (but somehow he knew that whatever it was it was bad enough). He was glad when his son had excused himself because he had a lot of things to think about.

He had always thought of himself as a pessimist, but when he heard all this, he couldn't help the hope that filled his heart. Everything just seemed to be fitting together perfectly and maybe... just maybe he had found who he was too. But to find out for sure, he couldn't just walk over to them and make them look at him. If he did that and he was wrong, the disappointment would have shown clearly on his face and he didn't want to put Jean through that today. If only he could get one of them alone with him he would have the chance to see... and if he was wrong... well there was something else he wanted to get off his chest and it would be best if he talked to one of them anyway (and it would probably be better if it was the Harry bloke, somehow he knew he would be able to talk easier with him), he was just lucky that Harry seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"Er..." Harry said walking into the small, but quaint bedroom. He was watching the man that was sitting there with his hand covering his face.

"I just had a few things to ask you," Matt said lowering his hand and really looking at Harry for the first time that morning. It seemed that once again he was hit by the familiar feeling and he didn't know what do to about it.

Harry was frozen in place when '_Matt'_ had lowered his hand and he was meet with not some strangers face that he was sure that he would see, but saw what he really wanted but never thought would happen. At first, he really wasn't sure he could believe his eyes because he had looked so different and not just because he had black hair, though that really was throwing Harry off (it was just wrong for Ron to not have the Weasley red hair) but it seemed that his friend had grown up a lot in the last five years. But there was no mistaking those blue eyes, the day that Ron had came back to them and saved his life during the horcrux hunt was etched into Harry's memory as was the way that he had looked at him when it was all over. No '_Matt'_ wasn't giving him the same look, but his eyes were still the same, as were the long nose and the way that he furrowed his brows. And then there was the voice, along with the looks that were just a little off... it just made it so damn clear that he was now standing in front of his best friend in the world... that man that had long ago become a brother to him.

Now Harry wanted to do many things. He wanted to yell; shout until his voice was horse. He wanted to run around the room and dance (yes he actually wanted to dance, something he never thought he would want to do). He wanted to rush to Ron and embrace him for the next hour. But he didn't do any of these things. In fact, he didn't do anything but stare at Ron with his eyes going slightly wide... he couldn't seem to move an inch or say anything.

"If that's all right," Matt said after a minute. His head fell. He was so sure that he was right, but Harry didn't seem to recognize him at all. He tried to gather himself from his disappointment, and ask the questioned he now needed an answer for. "I figure you would be on his side... I mean you are best mates and all... but how close were they really?"

"Eaklf..." Harry said trying to say something but he couldn't manage to make sense of anything that Ron was trying to ask him.

"I know that you don't know where this Ron bloke is now, but I'm sure you'll find him someday," Matt went on, not looking at Harry because of his disappointment. "What I want to know is, do I have to worry about him?"

"Are you saying you would just give up if he came back?" Harry asked. The question had snapped him out of his shock, he didn't really like how '_Matt'_ had phrased the question, though at the same time, he had to smile at the fact that he asked it. Only Ron could find a way to be jealous of himself.

"What?" Matt said snapping his head up to face Harry again, looking incredulous. "Of course I'm not giving up. Jean is my bloody life and I would do anything to keep her. I was just wondering how tough the fight was going to be."

"Well, Ron would definitely fight for her with everything he had... as long as he knew that he could still win her love that is," Harry said trying to control his face... he knew this wasn't right but it was just too hilarious to be actually having this conversation with Ron.

"Well so will I," Matt said. "And I know more about her... I'll know exactly when I'll either win this fight or lose it, and until that day comes, I'm going to fight for her as hard as I can."

"I guess that settles the questions I had to ask you," Harry said smiling, still enjoying this, but feeling like it was about time he shared his news before he burst. "You seem to be good enough our Mione."

"Gee thanks," Matt said sarcastically, but despite his words he felt much better about the situation, he even thought that this Harry bloke might like him.

"I just have one thing to ask you before we leave," Harry said.

"What's that?" Matt asked raising his eyebrow.

"Why the hell is your hair black?" Harry said smiling broadly, knowing that all kinds of emotions were on his face but he didn't seem to care.

"It's for my... hey how do you know my hair is dyed?" Matt asked looking at the other man suspiciously.

"Because you're hair is red, Ron," Harry laughed and seeing the shock, relief and happiness in his friend's eyes seem to really lighten his heart a hundred-fold and he knew that all his struggles of the last few years were worth it.

"What did you call me?" Matt whispered his heart pounding in his chest, could it really be true? Was he found? Was he really this Ron guy that they have been talking about? Was he really the love of Hermione's, his Jean's, life?

"I called you Ron," Harry chuckled. "It's your name but if you want to be..."

"You know me... I'm... and... you... wait," Matt said, his mind seemed to be bouncing all over the place and he couldn't pick what to say or think about first. But then he was glaring at this man that was smirking at him and he punched him in the arm.

"Ouch... what was that for?" Harry said rubbing his arm.

"Why didn't you say something earlier?" Matt growled and Harry just had to laugh even harder at that.

"Sorry, but I didn't notice it was you until I was in here," Harry said through his laughter. "And then you were asking that question and I just couldn't help myself."

"Prat," Matt grumbled and though he didn't really know why he was doing this, he tackled Harry.

"What the..." Harry said has he found himself knocked over, Ron had punched him a few more times but nothing too serious he could tell that his friend wasn't really angry. "Okay I'm sorry..."

In the meantime, Arthur had returned from the bathroom and ran back to Ginny's arms. "I ready now!"

"That's nice love, but we have to wait for Daddy and Harry," Jean smiled at her impatient son.

"But I want hear," Arthur said pouting giving his mum and then Ginny his best pleading face.

"You're so adorable," Ginny said finding it almost impossible to resist his look. "I just want to take you home with me."

"Hhhh..." Arthur gasped and stiffened.

"Arthur," Jean smiled, shaking her head at her son's antics. "She was just joking."

Arthur didn't say anything, he just stared at Ginny biting his lips and she looked back at him confused and worried.

"Don't worry love," Jean said, this time picking her son up and he hugged her tightly. "You know Mommy and Daddy wont let anyone take you from us."

"I know," Arthur smiled but before he could say anything more, they heard muffled sounds coming from the master bedroom.

"What is going on in here?" Jean asked as she came into the room closely followed by Ginny and Arthur.

"Just having a little talk with my friend," Matt said sitting up and smiling at his wife, and though he had always loved her more than anything in the world, his heart pounded in his chest knowing now for sure that she was truly his forever.

"Oh dear sweat Merlin!" Ginny said looking at '_Matt'_ full on for the first time and just like Harry had recognized her brother in a second. "Ron!" she exclaimed as she ran to her brother, knocking them both to the floor, as tears streamed down her face.

"What?" Jean said furrowing her eyes together and looking at Harry for confirmation that she had indeed heard what she had thought she heard. He nodded his head and then turned back to the hugging siblings.

"I can't believe that we found you!" Ginny said tears now clouding her eyes. "Mum is going to freak when she finds out... and that you two are married... Merlin she going to go insane..."

Matt didn't say anything as he hugged his sister, listening to her say whatever she was saying, talking about '_their'_ mother and then moving on to the rest of '_their'_ family he didn't think he could take anymore. "You know for someone that says that they have been looking for me for a long time, it sure did take you a while to recognize me," he pointed out smirking at her.

"Prat!" Ginny said pulling away from him, smacking him and laughing at the same time, it was just so Ron to say something like that.

"Mathew," Jean reprimanded, which only caused Harry and Ginny to laugh harder than they have been a second ago.

"Jean," Matt said giving her a look that seem to send chills down her spine and she couldn't help the broad smile that came to her face as everything seem to fall into place for her. Why Matt had felt so familiar to her when they first met, why Harry had felt similar just a few hours ago when she had met him, why she was so confident that she couldn't love anyone as much as she did Matt, despite what Ginny had told her about Ron.

Matt got up, still looking at her with all the happiness she knew was on her face a mere twelve hours ago and so much more because this time they both knew some of their past and they were indeed meant to be together. When he reached her he picked her up and spun her around before he gave her the most passionate meaningful kiss he's ever had in his whole life and she returned it just as enthusiastically.

"I told you, you were the only man for me," Jean said smirking as Matt rested his head on her's a few moments later.

"You did... I should have known better than to ever doubt you," Matt smiled back.

**A/N: Okay a while ago I said that I had two reason for deciding to keep Arthur in this story (the first being the park bench scene with Hermione telling Ron that she was pregnant) and the other was in this chapter. It was at first when Hermione reprimands him at the the door for trying to open it and then the scene at the end of this chapter where Ginny says she just wants to take him... I don't know why, but this just really stuck in my head and I just wanted to keep them. I've always liked the idea of Hermione's relationship with her son I guess. Anyway, I hope you all like this chapter.**


	19. The Past

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters. **

**A/N: Thanks to my beta xxlov3m3x4m3xx**

**Update 11/29/2010**

Chapter Nineteen

The Past

"Well not that I don't like seeing you two just standing there snogging each other... er wait it is that I don't like seeing that," Ginny said laughing, it was quite the experience watching the two of them be together like this... though it was quite the experience just watching them at all.

"Sorry," Jean said pulling away from Matt, she had forgotten that they were there in the first place. Matt on the other was shrugging his shoulders, and looked like he wouldn't mind just keep forgetting that they were there.

"It's all right," Ginny said walking towards them. "But it's bloody annoying having to look at Ron with this hair..." she added about to pull out her wand and turn it make to it's natural Weasley red when Harry grabbed her arm and gave her a pointed look. She blushed. Once again she almost let slip about magic without thinking, but she was just finding that too difficult not to. "Why is it like that?"

"It's for my job," Matt shrugged. "I'm a detective."

"Why would that mean that you have to dye your hair?" Harry asked.

"I'm doing a stakeout right now, and the red hair... it stands out too much," Matt sighed, and Harry and Ginny laughed at that.

"You've got to tell us how you two met!" Ginny said suddenly bouncing. "Was it love at first sight, but not really first sight because you've already knew each other so you were already in love but you didn't know that at the time, but you still loved each other..."

"Breathe Ginny," Harry said as he looked at his girlfriend that was starting to turn red as she talked so fast that he was sure no one knew what she was saying.

"Sort of like that," Jean smiled (okay so Hermione had, but she understands most things he couldn't anyway). "But I believe that there was something that you were just about to tell me before all this happened..."

"What... oh... but I wanted to know more about you and Ron," Ginny pouted.

"And so do we," Matt smirked. "I'm just dying to hear more about Ron and Hermione."

"I think it would be better if they knew about... er... that anyway," Harry said.

"Fine... I can see that I'm going to be out voted," Ginny huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "I just thought it would be nice to hear more about how the two of them managed to find each other even without knowing who the other was... but there's nothing important there..."

"You really are Matt's sister aren't you?" Jean laughed and Matt made a face.

"What that mean?" Arthur said, he had been silently watching all this smiling... he could tell that whatever it was, was good because everyone was laughing a lot, but he didn't quite know what was going on.

"Well sweetie, it means that daddy knows who he is now too," Jean said picking him up and heading for the living room, it really was a much more comfortable place to have a conversation with five people.

"This people daddy's family?" Arthur asked his eyes were on Ginny again.

"Yes... that's daddy's sister," Jean smiled. "She's your Aunt Ginny."

"Really!" Arthur lighted up and held his arms out to Ginny who gladly took him. "Then people you talk bout family too... the Wealys..."

"Yeah, they're all your family and they'll love meeting you," Ginny smiled.

"If you don't mind me asking... why did you call him Arthur?" Harry asked.

"It seemed like it was an important name to me," Matt said looking at Harry as he sat next to his wife on the couch. Harry had chosen to sit in the love seat, and Ginny sat next to him.

"It just felt right somehow," Jean smiled fondly at her son and then at Harry.

"Well I know that Dad will be ecstatic the hear that," Ginny laughed.

Then a silence took place in the room that made everyone a little uncomfortable until Harry couldn't take it anymore and he just had to talk. "Okay there is no easy way to say this, but Hermione you're a witch," he said, and he finally understood how hard it must have been on Hagrid to tell him this when he was eleven.

"Oi!" Matt exclaimed immediately glaring at Harry.

"That's a terrible things to say," Jean said her eyebrows furrowing and feeling rather disheartened that one of her supposed best friends said that to her (she also remembered that Ginny had said that too the first time she meet her).

"What... no I didn't mean it like that," Harry said throwing out his hands trying to explain this better. "I didn't mean that your were a mean person or something like that... I meant that you are actually a witch... in the magical sense..."

"What?" Hermione said raising her eyebrows at him, he wasn't making any sense, there was no such things as real witches.

"You're lunatics... there's no such thing as real witches," Matt scoffed shaking his head.

"Sure there are Ron," Ginny said.

"So am I a witch too?" Matt said skeptically.

"Don't be ridiculous, there's no male witches," Ginny laughed at how absurdly weird it was that her brother asked her if he was a _witch _when he had known all his life about magic. "You're a wizard."

"Wizard," Matt scoffed again. "I am a bloody wizard."

"Like wizard Oz!" Arthur asked looking excited.

"Yes..." Harry smiled, who had heard of the movie and knew they were books but hadn't watched or read them.

"Don't!" Jean said sharply, glaring at the both of them, there was really anger in her eyes and the both of them instinctively cowered away from her. "I don't want you lying to him!"

"We're not lying," Harry said his eyes pleading and sincere but she couldn't believe what he was saying. There was no such thing as magic and that was final.

"I don't know who you think you are coming in here and telling me all this nonsense but I won't stand for it," Matt said, he was angry that they would say something like this and try to pass it off as truth.

"We're not lying and I can prove it," Ginny said hotly (the Weasley temper getting the better of her like always). She pulled out her wand (this time Harry didn't stop her, though he was hoping that she wasn't going to do anything to rash) and pointed it at Ron. She muttered a spell and his hair instantly turned to its natural red state.

"Oh my god!" Jean exclaimed and her eyes went round as she watched the transformation.

"Cool!" Arthur said clapping his hands. "Do more..."

"What?" Matt asked looking around but not seeing anything. "What did she do?"

"I'll give you one hint," Jean said putting her hand through his hair and smiling at him brightly.

"My hair," Matt said sitting down looking stun. "You're telling the truth."

"Yep," Ginny said smugly.

"Am I bloody wizard too?" Arthur asked.

"Er..." Harry said not sure what to say to that but laughing at the way the kid asked the question. "Probably..."

"Ronald Bilius Weasley! How many times have I told you not to swear in front of Arthur?" Jean yelled.

"I'm sorry..." Matt cowered from her. "I was shocked... I didn't mean to..."

"That doesn't..." Jean started but Harry interrupted her.

"How did you know his middle name was Bilius?" Harry asked her.

"What?" Jean snapped at him and then blushed. "I.. er... I don't know... I've never called him that before. It just came out."

"It must be easier for you to remember things like that with us here," Ginny smiled. "You used to always scream at him like that when he did something particularly stupid."

Matt, who was looking relieved that his wife's attention was no longer on him, was now glaring at his sister (though that thought seemed to make the glare only halfhearted).

"So you are saying that we can do what Ginny just did?" Jean asked looking at the two with wonder and skepticism.

"No, what I'm saying is that you could do a whole lot more than that," Harry sad. "Especially you Mione, you're the most powerful witch of our generation... though Ron you're pretty powerful too."

"Gee thanks," Matt grumbled. "I feel real special now."

"No I mean it... you are powerful... it's just that I'm better so you couldn't possibly be the best..." Harry said grinning.

"Git," Matt muttered.

"How come I've never heard of magic being real?... I mean it seems like it's more then just a few of us that belong to this community," Jean asked.

"Yeah there is a whole world out there that is hidden from all the Muggles," Harry said smiling at her for being able to figure that out so quickly. Underneath it all, even without her memories she was still Hermione.

So Harry and Ginny told Ron and Hermione as much as they could about the magical world, their first few years at Hogwarts, and the war. By the time that Harry got to the final battle his voice got hard and he couldn't stand to look at either of his friends. He couldn't stand what happened next, how he had lost them just when he thought that everything was over and done with. So Ginny picked up the story from there and told them all how hard they tried to look for them and how hard this has been on the family.

After they had finished it was a little after one o'clock and Ginny offered to make lunch for them all (Arthur going with her because she promised to use some magic while doing it), as Ron and Hermione sat on the couch thinking about everything they just heard. It was a really odd experience to be told all about your past like that and not have any idea what really went on. It was even hard to hear when they started talking about the bad things that happened, like Ron getting poisoned and Hermione getting tortured (which Harry only added because she had eluded that she knew that something bad had happened to her like that).

"I know that this doesn't really mean anything to you, but I thought it was right to give them to you," Harry said handing them each a wand. When Ginny offered to cook, Harry thought for sure that he would go with her but at the same time both Ron and Hermione gave him this look that seemed to say they didn't want to be completely alone with this.

"What is this?" Matt said looking at the stick Harry was offering him.

"It's your wand," Harry said. "You lost them at Malfoy Manor and it took a long time to find them there but I knew that you would want them when we found you."

"Er... thanks," Matt said now actually taking the stick thinking that Harry was a little weird, that was until he was actually holding the wand and he could feel this energy coming from it... a energy that was so familiar that it felt like he was meeting an old friend.

"That was interesting," Jean said feeling the same way about the wand she was now holding. "I suppose that's magic I'm feeling."

"Yeah," Harry smiled. "It's a great feeling isn't it."

"Lunch is ready," Ginny said from the kitchen and when they got to the table they saw all the things that were there. It was quite amazing all that she was able to do in such a short time, Jean thought but then she thought that she was probably helped a lot by magic. Lunch was a quite experience (Harry and Ginny was stunned when Ron didn't once talk with his mouth full but assumed that Hermione had cured him from doing that).

"Okay so now that we know all that dreary crap, can we talk about something more pleasant?" Matt asked as they settled themselves back in the living room. "I mean there's got to be cool things about the magical world."

"Oh there are tons," Ginny said. "For one you could be a lazy bum most of the time just making things come to you with the wave of your hand."

"Now, see, there's something that I want to learn about," Matt chuckled. "You mean I could make the remote come to me when I'm watching TV."

"Er... what?" Ginny said.

"Yeah, you can, it's just an easy Summoning Charm," Harry said laughing about both Ron's question and Ginny's reaction to it. "See, _Accio_ remote."

"Wow," Matt said as the remote sailed into Harry's hands.

"Great just what I need, Matt to get more lazy," Jean rolled her eyes.

"Assio remote," Matt said waving his wand around, but nothing happened.

"It's Accio Matt," Jean said. "And your arm movement wasn't the same as Harry's... it was like this..."

"So sue me I don't know what the hell I'm doing, let's see if you can do it," Matt huffed.

"Fine," Jean huffed too. "_Accio_ remote," she said waving her wand and the remote left Harry's hand and sailed to her.

"Wow..." Matt said eyes going wide, he didn't think that was really going to happen.

"Mommy magic!" Arthur said looking the same as Matt was.

"What's so funny?" Jean asked, because Harry was laughing hysterically in his chair (Ginny was just looking surprised but shrugging... like she should have known that Hermione would have done that).

"It's just... when we were in first year... almost exactly... like that," Harry said still laughing and finding it hard to breath.

"Er... okay," Matt said.

"Yeah, that's nice and all but I want to hear about how you two met," Ginny said bringing that up again but this time she wasn't going to let anyone talk her out of this subject.

"It's nothing that special, I had decided to go to this coffee shop on campus and that's when I saw Matt sitting there," Jean said.

"He was at the campus too... Ron you went to College!" Ginny said.

"Yeah," Jean said glaring at the other girl. "Why is that so hard to believe... he was very good in his classes."

"Because Ron hated school," Ginny said, almost smiling at how defensive Hermione was of Ron. "He couldn't stand studying for any period of time."

"It wasn't that bad," Harry said. "Er... but you really didn't like it..."

"Well I liked most of my classes in College," Matt said. "But I know that was only because it would help me get want I wanted... to be a detective..."

"You have to go to school for that," Ginny said furrowing her eyebrows, she didn't really know what a detective was excepted it had something to do with law enforcement.

"Yeah, there are a lot of things you have to know to be able to do that," Matt said pouting.

"Gin, a detective is like the Auror of the Muggle world," Harry said.

"Oh!" Ginny said. "Wow, Ron, I'm impressed!"

"Er... thanks," Matt said blushing a little because it was obvious that Ginny was sincerely impressed.

"So you two met in a coffee shop," Ginny prompted.

"Yeah," Jean said. "It was really crowded there so I had to share a table with someone so I picked the one with the cute red headed boy..."

"Was there a reason you picked that one," Ginny asked looking hopeful.

"Er..." Jean said, she had never told Matt about her redheaded dream man, knowing that he wouldn't take it well and that it didn't matter because she stopped dreaming of him after she met Matt. However, seeing as it was really him she could probably tell him the truth. "Well, I kind of had more than few dreams about a red haired man with blue eyes like the ocean..."

"You did?" Matt asked looking at his wife incredulously. "That's why you sat next to me?"

"Yeah," Jean said not so sure anymore if this was really the time for this (though Ginny and Harry were smiling fondly at that bit of information).

"So I guess you won't be too disappointed if I told you that I used to see these eyes, gorgeous brown eyes," Matt said smiled at her looking deeply into her eyes. "That always made be feel guilty if I even looked at another girl... oh yeah and lots of bushy brown hair... I remember that too."

"Hey," Jean made a face. "So you're okay with this..."

"Well, it's weird," Matt said. "I want to be jealous of this, but that would mean that I would be jealous of me... so I guess that means that I have to be okay with it. Besides, it gave me the two most important people in my life so there's no way that I couldn't love that you sat next to me."

"So what happened after you met?" Ginny said very excitedly and Hermione told them what had transpired between them that night and what it had all lead too. Ginny and Harry both laughed at how Ron had tried to use the contraception charm (though he was pleased that at least he wasn't just being an idiot with that). Ginny had glared at Ron when they heard that he had left Hermione alone just so he could get some food (though she did so fondly, it was just so typical Ron). Harry was rather upset that they both were hurt so much by the separation but when Hermione got to the part where they meet again he was just pleased that they were able to make up so easily (knowing how proud both of them could be). Hermione continued to tell about their lives together (Harry and Ginny only looking a little sad when she talked about the wedding and Arthur's birth because they hated missing that) up until when Ginny met them.

"Oh crap!" Matt said when it as five thirty. "I'm going to be late... I'm not even dressed... Aaron's going to kill me!"

"What's the matter?" Ginny asked.

"I have to go to work!" Matt said.

"Oh... Hold still," Ginny said pointing her wand at him and transforming his hair back to black and his clothes to something inconspicuous.

"What the bloody hell is this... I can't go in a dress," Matt said looking down at the robe he was now wearing (okay so it was inconspicuous to a wizard).

"Here," Harry chuckled and pointed his wand at him, which transformed the robe into some slacks and a shirt. "Better?"

"Yeah, this will do," Matt said. "Bloody woman putting me in a dress..."

"It's what wizards wear... and it was a robe!" Ginny hissed at him.

"Whatever... I've really got to be going," Matt said and kissed Jean, and smiled at his sleeping son on the couch. He was about to leave before he turned again to look at Ginny and Harry suddenly not wanting to leave. "I'll see you soon, right?"

"Just try to keep us away," Ginny laughed getting up and hugging her brother. "I'm so happy that I've found you Ron."

"So am I," Matt smiled at her and then left to go to work.

After Ron had left, they ordered take away and kept talking about just about anything that came to their minds. Harry and Ginny both thinking the same thing, that it was just so naturally to talk to Hermione, and even though there were things that were different than how she used to be, she was at the same time the same person she had always been. After dinner was over, she thought it was time for Arthur to go to bed, which he really didn't want to do.

"Arthur, you know that it's your bed time," Jean said giving him her sternest look and he sighed.

"Okay, Goodnite 'Arry," Arthur sighed but then ran to Harry and hugged him. He really did like Harry, though he didn't get to talk to him that much today.

"Goodnight Arthur," Harry said hugging the boy, smiling. Harry could see so much of both of his friends in the way the boy looked and acted, and he already loved him.

"Goodnite Gin-ney," Arthur said after Harry had let him go.

"Goodnight Arthur," Ginny happy hugged him again.

Jean had then took her son to bed, staying in there to read him his story, though he passed out almost as soon as she started. When she got back they resumed there conversation until Harry noticed that it was after midnight and though he was reluctant to leave, he knew that it was for the best. So after making some important plans for tomorrow, they apparated to their flat.

O

"Finally you're home," Jean said, it was two-thirty now and even though she was dead tired, she was too excited to sleep.

"Sorry," Matt said. "But this is the time I'm normally home at."

"Well I'm usually asleep then so it doesn't matter," she smirked at him. "But I've been waiting since you left today, and I don't think I could take much more."

"I know how you feel," he smiled at her. "Oh... er... before anything else I should tell you that I have to work tomorrow..."

"What... but I thought you didn't have to work until Wednesday?" she said.

"Yeah, well I told my boss that my family found me... he thought it would be best if I take the next few weeks off, but he really needs me to work tomorrow... well actually it's today isn't it," he said. "I have to work nine to five..."

"Great... Harry wanted us to see your brother Bill tomorrow..." she frowned.

"Why? I mean why only one brother?" he asked furrowing his eyebrows and looking saddened by her news.

"If you let me finish I would have explained," she huffed not really annoyed at all. "Harry said that he might have an idea how to fix our memories... that he's a curse breaker... I think that's what Ginny called him. Anyways, after that we were supposed to go to your family's house to have dinner with everyone..."

"I should be able to make the dinner," he sighed. "But I can't go to Bill's... do you think you can go there without me... I mean do I have to be there?"

"Probably not," she frowned. "But I wish you were..."

"Sorry love," he smiled and kissed her. "So my family knows that I was found..."

"Nope," she smiled. "Ginny thought it would be funny if we surprise them..."

"But they're all going to be there for dinner?" he asked.

"Supposedly they always meet up on Sundays," she smiled; she liked how close the family sounded.

"Okay, so we're going to surprise my whole family... that doesn't sound too overwhelming at all," he chuckled.

"You know you like the idea... I can see the mischievous glint in your eyes now," she said shaking her head. "I don't know how your mother put up with you... if you and Ginny are any indication, there must never have been a quiet moment in your house."

"What can you do?" he shrugged and then climbed into bed only wearing his boxers (he had been getting undressed and ready for bed while they've been talking). "I think that's all I can stand talking about tonight..." he said in a husky voice as he started kissing his wife's neck tenderly. "I've been wanting to be alone with you since I found out who I was..."

"Mmmm... me too," she sighed contently but there was something else she wanted to tell him first, "wait a second..."

"Huh," he said leaning up to look into her eyes. "What is it Mione?"

Her stomach squired at the name as she knew that he knew would have happened. "I wanted to tell you that I learned two more spells today..."

"Really," he said frowning at first but noticing the sexy smirk she was giving him and thought that he just might like what she had learned. "There's only one spell that I would be interested in at the moment though," he just had to say as he waggled his eyebrows.

"Well I don't think it's that one, but they kind of have to deal with that," she said smiling suggestively at him.

"Really!" he exclaimed, his mind going in a million directions wondering what his wife had learned.

"It's nothing like that," she made a face at him.

"You don't know what I'm thinking about," he said his eyes far off.

"I don't need to... I know it's not what you're thinking," she said.

"Fine then, what are these spells of yours," he pouted going back to kissing her neck.

"Mmmmm..." she couldn't control the moan that escaped her. She quickly reached for her wand that she had put on her bedside table and flicked her wrist a certain way and said "_Muffiato." _

"What did that do?" he asked as he started kissing down her neck, as his hands moved under the shirt that she was wearing.

"It made it so we could still hear everything that's going on, but no one can hear us... no matter how loud we are," she said and smirked at him as his head snapped up and he looked at her in the eyes.

"Really!" he smirked too, his hands were still raking her body and they now rested on her breast, she wasn't wearing a bra, and squeezed the right nipple like he knew she liked.

"Ssssshhhh..." she hissed at the feel of it, her eyes rolling back. "Yessss..."

"I really do like the sound of that," he grinned as he removed the shirt from her altogether and bent his head down to kiss her left nipple. "And what was the other spell..." he asked before he took the nipple in his mouth and started to suck, bite and tease it the way he knew she loved.

"Oh god..." she said moving her hands to his silky locks. "I've cast it already... ssssffff... yess... oh... when you first came in..."

"That doesn't tell me what it was," he sat up and pouted.

"Do you really not know," she said continuing to run her figures through his hair and breathing even more heavily than few seconds ago just looking at him.

He looked up and could see a few red hairs almost covering his eyes and he smiled at her. "Does it really make that much of a difference?"

"Yes," she said painting heavily. "It makes you, you... And I want you... I've never wanted you more..."

And with that he kissed her with everything he had, it was like the kiss just a few hours ago but this time he had time to really enjoy it, he had time to savor this moment. The kiss quickly progressed to more, and soon he was making love with his wife like he never has before, because there was something so different about this time. His heart had always known that she was the love of his life and that she loved him just as much in return, but his head was always filled with doubts that this was too good to be true. But that wasn't there anymore, there was nothing there to stop him from completely immersing himself in wife knowing that she was feeling the same as he was.


	20. Memory Charm

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters. **

**A/N: For anyone that cares and doesn't know this yet, I have a picture on my profile of Mione and Arthur that I drew (it was actually drawn for my _Something to Fight for_ story, but I thought it fit for this one too). **

**Update 11/29/2010**

Chapter Twenty

Memory Charm

Josh was very mad; he had waited and waited and she never showed up. Finally he just gave up on her and went into the store to find something that he thought was perfect but he was still annoyed that she had stood him up like this. So that was why he woke up much earlier than he strictly needed to and drove to Jean's, barging into the flat.

"Jean!" he yelled not even waiting for the door to close, at times like this, he really appreciated that he had a key to their flat, if he had to be annoyed, he was going to make sure she was too (he knew that she was never up this early). "Where the hell were you yesterday? You better have a pretty damn good reason for not..." he continued to yell until he saw two people in the flat. "Who are you?" he asked looking them over closely, very shocked that anyone would be there this early; Matt and Jean didn't often have people over.

"You're the one that's barging into the flat, shouldn't you answer that first?" asked a man with very messy raven-colored hair. His tone and stance reminded Josh of Matt's co-workers that he had met on few occasions.

"I'm someone that's very angry with Jean right now and would really like to talk to her," Josh said, truthfully, but he was more than a little worried that these strangers were in the flat. "And you are?"

"I'm Ron's little sister and good friends with Hermione," the girl said with a grin.

"Who are..." Josh started to say looking more annoyed than ever by the answer (who the hell were Ron and Hermione and why did this girl seem to think that it entitled them to be here). However, when he really looked at her he couldn't help but notice how much she looked like Matt... Was it possible that these people... that they knew him. "Are you... are you Matt's sister?" he asked hesitantly.

"That's what I said, isn't it?" the girl smiled. "I'm Ginny Weasley, and yes Ron, who you know as Matt, is my brother."

"I can't believe it... he found his family," Josh smiled.

"Well his family found him at least," the messy haired man said. "I'm Harry Potter by the way. Ron and Hermione are my best friends."

Josh smiled at him and then he frowned, that was the second time they mentioned Hermione, was that possible. "Who's Hermione?"

"That would be me," Jean said walking in and smiling broadly at him, he had a feeling that she was waiting for this question (or something like it) to show up.

"Are you serious?" Josh exclaimed and he went to hug her, she was smiling broadly. "I can't believe it Jean, this is fantastic. And wait... this means you knew Matt before right?"

"Yep," Jean smirked. "It seems that Rachel was wrong about that."

"Hmm," Josh said narrowing his eyes and was annoyed again.

"What's wrong?" Jean asked.

"Well, Jean, you see I was really angry with you... I was going yell at you for hours even," Josh said and at that point Jean rolled her eyes (he could never be angry with her that long). "But how am I supposed to do that when you have the best reason you possibly could have for not being there."

"Sorry," Jean smirked at him, obviously not sorry at all, but then she furrowed her eyebrows. "What are you talking about?"

"You were supposed to meet me yesterday to..." Josh started but Jean gasped.

"Oh crap, to help you pick a ring for Rachel!" Jean finished. "Josh I'm so sorry, it completely slipped my mind."

"Don't worry about it," Josh smiled waving her off. "Like I said... it's not like I can be angry with you now."

"Still, I feel awful... I should have called you at least," Jean sighed. "But honestly if you didn't wait 'til the last second to buy the ring like I told you months ago, this never would have happened."

"Only you," Josh smiled shaking his head, "could turn something that was completely your fault into something that was mostly my fault... and get away with it too."

"It's a talent," Jean shrugged.

"You know why I decided to wait... I didn't want her to find the ring early," Josh said who was planning on proposing the next day, five years since when they first met. "And I got the perfect ring yesterday, without your help, thank you very much."

"Let me see then," Jean said holding out her hand and Josh gave her the ring. She smiled fondly at it, he was right, it was perfect of her. "Well you did an okay job I guess."

"Gee, thanks Jeanie," Josh grimaced. "But enough about that... tell me more about yourself."

"Er," Jean said not really sure what to tell him, especially about the wizarding world... she had a feeling that she wasn't supposed to say anything about that to him. So she felt it was best not to go into that too much, besides she had plenty to say that had nothing to do with magic. Pretty soon, Harry and Ginny joined into the conversation (though Harry looked a little moody about Hermione's relationship with Josh... it was obvious they were close). That was until Arthur came out of his room and Hermione noticed that it was almost ten.

"Do you think that we should be going soon?" Hermione asked Ginny.

"Yeah, that probably would be good," Harry said. "Just let me o... er... call Bill to let him know we're coming."

"Okay," Jean said. "I'll just get Arthur ready."

"I guess I should go then," Josh sighed. "I'll see you in a while Jean... er... or do you want me to call you Hermione now?"

"Just call me what comes natural to you," Jean shrugged. "I think it might be weird having you call me Hermione."

"Okay," Josh chuckled and hugged her. "I'll see you in a few days, hopefully with good news on my end... well, on both our ends really."

After Josh left, Harry sent an owl to Bill's work, having learned yesterday that he was supposed to be working at Gringotts this weekend. In the mean time, Arthur got ready and as soon as he was done, Harry took Hermione and Apparated to Shell Cottage (Ginny following with Arthur a second later).

O

Bill had just Apparated to his home a good four hours earlier than he was supposed to be there. In a normal circumstance, he wouldn't have left work early, but it wasn't everyday that he got an urgent letter from Harry Potter, even if the legendary hero was his soon to be brother-in-law (besides, it helped that he was just working on paperwork at the moment and was relieved to skive off early). Not to mention the fact that Harry wasn't one to just owl out of the blue like this, no this had to be important.

So, that's why he was walking so quickly when he bumped into someone. He looked down to see a red haired boy sprawled on the floor. He narrowed his eyes, not recognizing the boy's backside (the boy was facing away from him) at all, and didn't know where he came from. Teddy was the only little boy that has been to his house, and though he knew that Teddy could look like just about anything he wanted, he knew this wasn't him.

"Sori," the boy said dusting himself off. "I didn't see you."

"It's okay," Bill said smiling, he didn't expect an apology from the boy, he wasn't sure if his daughter even knew that word and this boy looked the same age as her. It was then that the boy turned around and they both gasped. Arthur gasping of course because of Bill's battled scared face, he was a little afraid of the man until he looked into his eyes, eyes that looked so much like his dad that he felt better. Bill on the other hand gasped because the boy looked exactly like his lost brother did at that age. He remembered all to well coming home from Christmas for his second year at Hogwarts and Ron gave him that same look.

"Daddy, you home," his daughter Victoire, or Vicky as everyone called her, ran to him and he picked her up smiling, but quickly looked back to the boy who was staring at him.

"Can't get me now Vicky," Arthur smirked, and then added to he scary looking man with kind eyes (who he decided that he like a lot more when he saw him smile), "keep her up there mister," and then he ran away.

"Put me down, Daddy," Vicky squirmed in his arms and he chuckled as he put his anxious daughter down, who immediately ran after the little boy.

He walked into the kitchen, half expecting to see his youngest brother there, it would certainly explain why Harry had owled him, but all he saw there was his wife talking to Harry. "So do you mind telling my why there a clone of Ron in my living room?" he directed the question towards Harry, though he couldn't help but notice that his wife was beaming from the corner of his eyes.

"... so then you punched him in the face," Ginny laughed coming in from the backdoor with a beautiful young woman with wavy brown hair, and as she turned he could see familiar brown eyes.

"Hermione!" Bill exclaimed and immediately went to the unsuspecting girl and hugged her. Now, it's true that Bill hadn't been particularly close to Hermione before she was lost, but that didn't mean that he didn't come to think of her like a little sister and hugged her as such.

"It's nice to see you too... Bill I presume," Jean chuckled at the warm welcome and was glad that Harry had warned her about his scar so she didn't stare at him rudely. Yes, it was hard to look at he man's ruined face, but she decided to concentrate on his eyes that she had found, like her son before her, were the same brilliant shade of blue as his brother's.

"I can't believe it! They finally found you!" Bill shouted, acting a lot more excited than his normal level-headed self would, but it's been five years and he was starting to lose hope that they would ever be found.

"Hey... it's hard to find someone when she could be anywhere in the world," Harry pouted.

"I bet she wasn't even in another country," Bill muttered.

"No, but she was on the other side of the country at least..." Ginny smiled.

"Let me guess... you were the one to find her," Bill laughed.

"Obviously... this git couldn't do anything without me," Ginny laughed too, as Harry pouted some more.

"So, I'm still wondering about the pint-size Ronnie in the next room," Bill asked, the smiling was still plastered firmly on his face, though now it looked more like a smirk. "Did something happen between you and Ronniekins that you..."

"Bill!" Fleur reprimanded, but Ginny and Harry were laughing at the comment and the blush that crept up on Hermione face.

"Honestly, does Arthur really look four to you?" Hermione said rolling her eyes.

"No, I was thinking more like three," Bill's smile broadened at that, this was actually what he was hoping her answer would be... it meant that Ron was found too, because there was no doubt in his mind that Ron had to be the boy's father. "So you named him Arthur."

"Yeah... apparently it was an important name to them," Harry said smiling.

"So is Ron here too?" Bill had to ask, suddenly the idea of seeing his brother again filled his mind and he didn't want to wait another minute.

"No... what makes you think that Ron would be here?" Ginny said smirking and at that moment, as if on cue, Arthur ran into the room to his mum and she picked him up. Bill raised his eyebrow as if to say 'that' and Ginny had to laugh. "Sorry, he was supposed to come but he had to work."

"Oh," Bill sighed, but he didn't let that get him down too long, too many good things were happening for him to be saddened by that for too long. "So what does he do?"

"He detecdive," Arthur answered proudly.

"Impressive," Bill smiled, he had a very good understanding of Muggles; he shared his father's enthusiasm for them, though luckily he never started collecting things. "But not surprising, not after the last time I saw him that is," he added, remembering how much his brother had grown up that year; finally knowing wholeheartedly what he wanted and going for it.

"Daddy guess what," Vicky said coming into the room shortly after Arthur did and immediately wrapped her arms around her dad's legs until he bent down and picked her up again. "Arthur me cousin."

"Is he really?" Bill said, "that's wonderful."

"Yeah... he funny... but Daddy he older than me," Vicky whined, she liked being the oldest cousin.

"Oh... I'm sorry love," Bill said, trying hard not to smile at his daughter's plight. "But you're still the oldest girl," he added when his daughter merely glared at him.

"Hmmm..." Vicky said to that looking thoughtful. "I guess that's okay then."

"She's adorable," Jean said smiling; she was glad that Arthur could be around some kids his own age. Besides Vicky, she was informed that Arthur had two other cousin, Dominique, who was Vicky's little sister, was almost one now and Molly, Ron's brother Percy's daughter, was two... and then there was Harry's godson that was five.

"Well, now that we've gotten all the pleasantries out of the way," Bill said almost an hour later, he was sitting at the table with everyone else, taking a sip of his tea. "I think it's time that we discuss why you came here to see me. Not that I'm not faltered that you're here, but I doubt you would come to me first if you didn't think you need my help in some way."

"As you can see, Hermione still has the Memory Charm on her," Harry said, his voice more brisk than what Bill was used to hearing, "I didn't think it was a good idea for me to try to reverse it. There could be some kind of curse put up to prevent that from happening and I didn't want to chance damaging either of their minds."

"Though of course, it wouldn't have done much to Ron's seeing as his mind has always been a little damaged," Ginny chuckled and Hermione glared at her.

"No, that was a good move Harry," Bill frowned. "The spell is a difficult one to reverse even in the best of circumstances, but in this case, I fear that it even more so. I'm not really sure if I'm qualified to actually try the reversal this myself, but I will take a look to see if there is any kind of curse placed in her head."

"Well that sounds like fun," Jean said nervously.

"Don't worry, I promise this won't hurt you a bit," Bill smiled friendly at her.

"Okay," Jean nodded; more than ever, she wanted to remember more about herself, especially since she was about to meet Matt's whole family and it might be nice to know them when she did.

"Hmm..." Bill muttered frowning, it was twenty minutes later and he really didn't like what he saw in there. He could tell that it wasn't any normal memory charm that was placed on her, but he couldn't seem to find exactly what was wrong. "Whoever cast this curse was good... It's hard to see what's blocking me..."

"So you don't think you can fix this," Harry sighed, he really wanted his friends, the ones that remembered him, back. Though he had to admit, he was finding he liked this new Mione too.

"Not at the moment," Bill said still looking through her mind, trying to find any weakness to the curse or something that he could work with. "And unfortunately, I don't think that going to see a Healer is going to help you either; they won't know how to deal with something like this."

"Great," Jean sighed.

"Don't worry Hermione, we'll figure this out," Bill smiled kindly at her for a second before he resumed his work. And that's how they stayed until it was almost five o'clock, Bill working as hard as he could to figure this out, but to no avail.

"Bill, it's time to get ready to go to the Burrow," Fleur said coming into the kitchen, the last hour or so Harry, Ginny and her had decided it might be beneficial to this experiment if they left them in peace.

"Right," Bill sighed. "I didn't really make any progress."

"It's okay, I'm sure you will think of something," Fleur said encouragingly.

"Well, I guess we should go back to your flat, Mione, and get Ron," Ginny said.

"You will do no such thing!" Bill shouted.

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked raising an eyebrow.

"I mean that either you or Harry is going to go get Ron and bring him here," Bill demanded. "I'm not going to wait any longer to see my brother again."

"Hmm... no I don't think so," Ginny said.

"Then I think I might have to let it slip to Mum and Dad that you found them," Bill said, he knew he was going to win this argument, which didn't happen often with his sister (she seemed to win everything). "I might even, accidentally of course, slip that they are married..."

"Fine!" Ginny pouted and disappeared on the spot with a rather loud pop.

"I hope she didn't splinch herself," Harry muttered, it wasn't normal for her to make that much noise when she Apparates.

"She'll be fine," Bill said waving his hand and going to help his wife get his children ready.

"So Mione, did you have fun today?" Harry asked.

"Er... for the most part yeah," Jean said. "Though it wasn't very comfortable having someone poking around in my head."

"Yeah, I know the feeling," Harry chuckled and she raised her eyebrow questioningly. "Well, not exactly, but I've had people prodding around in my head before."

"Okay," Jean said slowly.

"You don't have to be nervous," Harry said, correctly interpreting her feelings. "Everyone is going to flip when they see you..."

"That's why I am nervous," Jean said rolling her eyes at his attempt to make her feel better.

"Well, at least you know you'll get a warm welcome," Harry shrugged. "That's got to be... oh shit!"

"What?" Jean asked looking unnerved (more than the situation demanded) by his exclamation.

"Your parents... I totally forgot about them!" Harry said. "I should go and tell them... they could floo over..."

"No don't," Jean said, her heart skipped a beat when he mentioned them and she really wanted to she them, her parents, a lot, but she didn't think she could take things getting any more overwhelming than they were already going to be. "I think I would prefer to meet them on my own... er... I mean not with everyone else being there."

"I guess that makes sense," Harry said and at that moment there was another, much quieter pop.

"Merlin... I don't think I like that," Matt said looking a bit sick.

"Suck it up Ronnie, don't be such a baby," Ginny teased and Matt just glared at her.

"Hey Harry do you..." Bill said walking back into the kitchen and noticed that Ginny had returned with... "RON!" he screamed and ran over to his brother, all dignity forgotten, and hugged him tightly. "I can't believe it Ron!" he added as tears came to his eyes, actual tears, when he was able to hold his baby brother again.

Matt, for his part, found the embrace rather comfortable, something he normally wouldn't have thought when another man was hugging him, another man that was a stranger to him, but it seemed like his body had remembered Bill better than his mind had. "Yeah, it's great isn't it?"

"And think Ron, this is likely the mildest reaction you're going to get today," Ginny smirked.

"She's probably right," Bill said pulling away and trying to regain his cool. "I'm supposed to be the level-headed one, but Merlin, I can't believe I'm looking at you again."

"Er..." Matt said, he wasn't really getting what his brother was saying, but he just noticed how messed up his brother's face was. "How did you get those?"

"Mathew!" Jean reprimanded. "Don't be rude."

"Sorry," Matt sighed. "I didn't mean..."

"I got them in the war," Bill said, it was a bit sad to hear that question when his brother should have known the answer, but it didn't matter now.

"I guess we should get going," Harry said looking at his watch. "Molly is going to be worried if we don't get there soon."

"All right," Ginny said "We'll apparate just outside of the Burrow... I'm going to have to think what order wil be best to show up in."

"Isn't it just best if we all show up together?" Jean asked and her husband and his two siblings looked at her like she was crazy.

"What would be the fun in that?" Ginny said shaking her head.

Jean just rolled her eyes and accepted the hand that Harry had offered her as they all apparated to the Burrow.


	21. Meeting the Weasleys

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters. **

**A/N: Thanks to my beta xxlov3m3x4m3xx**

**Update 11/29/2010**

Chapter Twenty-One

Meeting the Weasleys

Seeing the Burrow for the first time made both Ron and Hermione smile, and though they couldn't recognize the place, it made them both feel more at home than they ever had been. He looked at the yard that was now in front of him and he could almost see himself playing games with his sister, running from a pair of menacing boys that always seemed to be giving him trouble. Whereas she focused on the big tree not far away from them and knew that was the perfect place to lay around, most likely reading.

"What do you think?" Harry asked, smiling at his friends, thinking of his memory of Ron asking him the same question the first time he saw the place.

"It's amazing," Matt said smiling broadly.

"Bill!" came an angry scream after a rather loud popping sound. "Why did you just disappear like that?"

"Er," Bill turned to his very angry wife, the truth was in the excitement of seeing his brother, and the expectation of seeing everyone's else face when they found out the truth had sort of made him forget about his wife (never a good thing).

"Er... sorry I think that was my fault," Matt said, hoping to take the pressure off his brother.

"Ron!" Fleur gasped, she knew that he would be there but it was just so odd for him to be standing there. Not to mention the fact that he had certainly grown up in the years that he was missing and he was looking more like his eldest brother than ever. Fleur flung her arms around him and said, "It is so good to see you..." and then she continued to say things in French that he couldn't understand, though by the looks of the smile on her face, his wife could.

"So I'm guessing you're Fleur," Matt chuckled as she let go of him.

"Sorry, Ron, this is my wife Fleur," Bill said, going to stand next to her (picking up Vicky on the way), "and my daughters Victoire..."

"Vicky," the girl corrected.

"Vicky, and Dominique," Bill smiled.

"It's nice to meet you," Matt smiled. "I suppose I'm your uncle Ron."

Before anyone could say anyone about that Ginny said, rather impatiently, "we need to get inside or Mum is going to send out search parties."

"She does have a point there," Harry chuckled.

"Okay," Matt said gulping. "So how is this going to work?"

"Well..." Ginny started and the explained her whole master plan.

O

"What's talking them so long?" Molly Weasley asked when it was past five thirty and there were still six people missing. It would have been okay if it was just Bill that was missing, she knew how hard it was to get kids ready sometimes, besides he had to work today, but Ginny and Harry were never late like this (she knew that was more to do with Harry than her daughter).

"I'm sure everything is fine Molly dear," Arthur said, although seeing as it was more than a hour late he would have expected an owl by now to explain why they were running late.

"Yeah, I'm sure they will be here any moment now," George said reaching a hand across the table to pick up a roll. "I'm sure if we start eating, they'll get here faster..."

"You know the rules," Molly smacked his hand away. "No one eats until everyone's here."

"I don't know why you made up that stupid rule," George grumbled, he really was starving at the moment.

"So you would all show up here on time of course," Arthur said, taking off his glasses to clean them, a small smirk on his face. "She knew that you lot would take care of your siblings that were late if it happened too often."

"I think once is too often," George muttered though this time it looked like he was thinking more about the revenge on his sibling he was now going to have to do.

"Well dear brother, I have a feeling that you might forgive me this time," Ginny said coming in the room, followed by Bill, who was holding Dominique, and Harry. She and George had grown really close in the last five years, helping each other deal with their loss.

"Oh, and why is that?" George said skeptically.

"I've brought something that is sure to cheer everyone up," Ginny smiled annoyingly bright.

"Even if you brought Merlin himself, it wouldn't make much of a difference to me," George scoffed.

Ginny grinned even wider, it was like he was playing right into her hand. "Of course not, Merlin wasn't a very sociable bloke, but Ron..." she said pointedly, it was his cue to come into the room, "is."

O

Matt was pacing the living room that his sister had motioned him to stay... he could hear everything that his family, HIS FAMILY!, was saying and it was just making him a nervous wreak. He wished that Jean could have been with him right know, even if that meant that they would be introduced together, he really could use her to calm him down. When he heard his sister say his name, he took one last deep breath and walked into the room to face them.

Everyone in the kitchen looked up when Ginny had said Ron, the name was no longer a taboo there, but it still wasn't used very often. And then he was there; Ronald Weasley was there standing in kitchen of the Burrow and there was complete silence in the house as everyone gaped at him. And then there was a high pitch squeal as a plump woman ran to her youngest son and grabbed him with so much force that if it wasn't for the fact that he was standing by a wall they would have been knocked to the floor.

"RONNIE!" Molly cried into his chest, crushing him with all the considerable strength she had. "Oh Merlin, you're home! My baby boy is home!"

At that point, she looked up at him, wiping her eyes furiously so she could see him properly, tears streaming down her face more freely now as she could see the years that she had missed in his face, and yet he was still her little boy. The one that come storming to her whenever the twins would hassle him. The one that had given his sister his favorite dessert when she had lost the blanket she always carried around. The one that had written to her on the first day of Hogwarts, exclaiming proudly that he had made friends with the Harry Potter (and yet made it clear that he had like the other boy for more than just the name) and was bothered by an annoying girl that didn't know when to keep her nose out of other people's business (at that thought more tears filled her eyes, thinking about the girl that was still missing). The son that would go through anything for his best friends, and did.

However, she also knew immediately that he didn't remember her, because he wasn't hugging her the right way, his eyes didn't hold the right look in them. Still, that will come, he'll remember everything, and even if he doesn't, it didn't matter as long as she knew her boy was safe.

"Mum," Matt said smiling as he looked down at the woman that was crushing the life out of him. The embrace was painfully tight and yet, he loved it. He could feel it, in this house, in this moment, that everything was going to me okay. So he hugged her back with everything he had, he seemed to miss this more than he would ever have guess, but soon he was being pulled away.

"RON!" Arthur Weasley exclaimed pulling his son in a tight embrace too, he gave his wife as much time as he could before he just couldn't stand not holding his lost son for another second. Ron just hugged him back, it was different than his mother's hug, he had a feeling that this type of embrace wasn't exactly normal from his dad, though it wasn't uncomfortable at all. "Merlin, I never thought I would see you again..." Arthur cried in his shoulder, pulling him tighter for one second before he released him.

"RONNIEKINS!" George jumped on him next pulling him into another tight embrace, though it only lasted a second before George wrapped his arm around his neck and pulled him down into a headlock, violently rubbing his hair. "DON'T EVER GO MISSING LIKE THAT AGAIN!" George continued to shout but his grin was bigger than it had been in years.

"George!" Molly reprimanded, and then bursting into a fresh wave of tears as Arthur wrapped his arms around her. She hadn't reprimanded any of her children like that since the end of the war, she could already see that in just those few minutes of having Ron back that her family was already starting to heal.

"Yeah, you had us all worried, Ronnie!" Charlie shouted as he pushed George away and gave Ron his bone crushing hug, that might really have cracked one of Ron's ribs, not that he noticed it. "You're sort of the glue that holds this whole family together mate," Charlie whispered in his ear, and then chuckled as Ron staggered away from him.

"Ron!" Percy said simply pulling his brother into a hug too. Percy had long ago come to admire his brother that had always stood up for what he believed in, no matter what he consequences might be to him.

After his last brother released him, he didn't know what to do or say, and everyone was looking at him.

"Well, what do you say George... am I forgiven?" Ginny smirked, she had tears in her eyes and Harry was holding on to her.

"That's depends... how long have you known where he was?" George said, the smile still plastered on his face.

"Just yesterday, we figured that it would be nice to surprise everyone like this," Ginny shrugged.

"They came over to my house first to see if I could fix the memory charm," Bill said smiling.

"Could you?" Charlie asked, though he could tell that his brother wasn't quite himself.

"No," Bill sighed. "There's a rather difficult spell on him (at least he assumed there was seeing as that was the case with Hermione), but I'll figure it out."

"Oh we don't need to worry about that right now," Molly said beaming at her son and couldn't take it any longer, she walked over to him and wrapped her arm around him. "You don't mind?" she asked tentatively when he looked down at her curiously.

"No," he smiled, he rather liked having her there.

"Good," Molly smiled back at him. "Now tell us all about yourself Ronnie."

"Well, I go by Matt," he started.

"You don't mind us calling you Ron do you?" Molly asked in trepidation, there was no way she was going to be able to call her son Matt.

"Of course not," he smiled widely at her. "I reckon I would find it a bit odd if you called me Matt... it just wouldn't be right."

"Good, Ronniekins it is," George smirked.

"No, I don't think I like that one," he made a face.

"Then you really shouldn't have told him that, now that's all he'll ever call you," Percy said in a drawl voice that was betrayed by the smirk on his face.

"First Ronnie comes back and now Perce is making jokes... the world has come to an end!" Charlie laughed.

"Or everything is finally how it's supposed to me," Bill added with a chuckled.

"Not everything," Molly bit her lips, again thinking about the girl that was still missing, her second daughter.

Bill, Ginny and Harry's smiles all went unnoticed as the family couldn't seem to take their eyes off Ron, who at the moment was looking at the woman that he had never met, even before he lost his memories, that was laughing softy at Charlie and Bill's joke.

"Oh, how inconsiderate of me," Percy said. "Ron, I would like you to meet my wife Audrey."

"It's nice to meet you," Ron said at first offering a hand but he decided to give her a hug, it seemed like the right thing to do in this family.

"It's nice to finally meet you too, Ron," Audrey smiled.

Then he kneeled down to look at the little girl that was looking curiously up at him. "And my daughter Molly," Percy added with pride.

"Isn't she adorable. I'm your Uncle Ron," he added to the girl who smiled at him shyly before burying her head in her mother's chest. "She can't be much younger than my son."

There was another silence in the Burrow after that proclamation followed by...

"WHAT?" everyone had shouted at that same time, it was so loud that the small group that was still outside could hear perfectly (not that they had trouble hearing most of the conversation; the Weasleys aren't exactly a quite family).

"I think that's our cue," Fleur chuckled, she was enjoying the one on one time with Hermione, knowing full well that she wouldn't be able to talk to the girl like this anytime soon. She then picked up her daughter (who was playing some kind of strange game with Arthur) and said, "Come on Arthur, it's time to meet your family."

"Okay," Arthur said standing up, looking both nervous and excited as he ran after Fleur. Jean had followed them into the house, though she stopped in the same living room that Matt was in a few minutes ago, as Ginny had made her do.

"YOU HAVE A SON!" Molly squealed, she had a grandson that she didn't know about; that she hadn't gotten the chance to spoil rotten yet.

"Yeah, he's three, and he's..." Matt started to say beaming at the flabbergasted looks on all of his families' faces, but stopped when he heard his son's approach.

"Daddy, Daddy!" Arthur came running into room and then stopped. He's never seen a room with so many redheads before. Usually he uses that to know where his dad was at any give time, and now he found that rather difficult.

"Right here bud," Ron said picking him up. "Everyone, I would like you to met my son Arthur."

"Arthur," Molly said, crying harder than she had before, as she watched the little boy, that looked exactly like his father had at that age, look around the room curiously.

"All my family?" Arthur asked beaming, he really was getting a kick out of meeting all these new people.

"That's right," Ron smiled. "I'd like you to meet your grandma."

"Hello," Arthur said and stretched out his hands to her, which she immediately responded to by grabbing him out of his dad's arms and pulling him into a tight but comfortable embrace (she really couldn't wait any longer to hold the little guy). Arthur for his part smiled and hugged her back; he like the way she smelled, like all the foods he likes to eat.

"Hello, Arthur, I'm your grandpa," Arthur Sr. said, putting a hand on his had.

The boy then looked up at him, beaming, and said, "Hello, nice met you."

"Wow, he's certainly well mannered," George said. "How did that happen?"

"Hush, you," Molly said, she was finding the boy to be precious; of course all of her grandchildren were, but still.

"So you named him Arthur," Molly said, smiling at the boy, but she wasn't the only one that wanted to hold him. George had come over to get a better look at the boy.

"The name seemed to be important to me," Matt smiled as both his parents beamed at him, as he watched his brother take his son and whirl him around, soon passing him to the next brother in line, his son seeming to love every minute of the attention he was getting.

"So Ronniekins, do you have any more shocking news to tell u?," George asked a few minutes later, Arthur was now securely in Harry's hands. "Though I don't know how you could come up with anything that could top this."

"I might me able to," Matt smirked at his brother, as everyone who knew what was coming next snorted.

"Really?" George said looking skeptically, though it was directed towards his sister, who seemed thoroughly convince that Ron could do that. "How?"

"Well, I have to introduce you to my wife don't I," Matt smiled, this time fondly as he thought of his wife.

"Oh," Molly sighed, she hadn't thought of this, though she really should of, seeing as there had to be a girl involved if her son had a son. She didn't know how she was going to handle him having actually being married, and happily too if his smile was any indication, to someone other than Hermione. In her mind those two here already married.

"Don't worry mum, I know you're going to like her," Matt smiled at his mum, correctly interrupting her reaction, but knowing she really had nothing to worry about.

"I'm sure I will..." Molly started, but paused as she looked at her son closer. The knowing smile he was giving her started to make her think. So she looked him over closely, and what she saw made her heart beat faster, because there really was only one girl that could make her son look like this. "It can't be..." Molly gasped still looking her son in the eye, whose smile had just widened.

"Jean, please come out," Matt said, not giving anything away, he saw his mum eyebrows furrow for a second before she shook her head and again looked at the living room expectantly.

O

Jean was just as nervous as Matt had been before her, and like him she was pacing. She wanted to get this over with already, and she really wished that she could have been there when her son had met his family for the first time, she could tell by their voices that they all took a liking to him and he them (she judged by his giggles). Why did she ever let Ginny talk her into doing it this way? Okay, so it was mostly due to Matt and Arthur's pleads that she finally caved in, but still, she wanted to meet everyone already. And then she heard Matt call to her and she was frozen to the spot suddenly nervous of how they were going to react to her.

"Er... Jean," she could hear Matt say nervously, probably wondering why she hadn't come yet. That's what did it; she couldn't wait any longer, so she started walking to the kitchen.

After Ron had called for 'Jean' a second time, the Burrow went quiet for the third time that night (though it was probably one of the louder nights in the Burrow's history, it was still quite odd that there were so many silences in the house). Again this silence was followed by a loud explosion as everyone was able to see Hermione walking into the door.

"HERMIONE!" Molly squealed and ran to Hermione just as she had ran to her son, and hugged her. "Merlin... I can't Believe this!" tears fell out of her eyes freely again, just embracing the girl, and then the full meaning of what Ron had said hit her. "YOU TWO ARE MARRIED!"

"Yeah," Matt chuckled, smirking at his wife who had the misfortune to be standing in Molly's grasped as she exclaimed this, but didn't feel so lucky when George pulled him into another headlock.

"WAY TO GO RONNIE!" George yelled just as loudly as Molly had. "How the bloody hell are you lost to the world, but still manage to marry our Mione is beyond me!"

"This is wonderful!" Molly cried, not even hearing what George had yelled. "You really are my daughter now!"

"Thank you Mrs. Weasley," she said, feeling a little awkward, but loving the warmth embraced the older woman gave her. It truly was as Harry had said; they really did love her like another daughter, like one of the family.

"None of that dear," Molly said sharply. "You call me Molly, or Mum if you want, though I would think right now it would be better to keep it at Molly because you still have to see your parents and I don't want to confuse... HARRY!" she went on, and suddenly turned to Harry looking a little angry.

"Yes," Harry said gulping, he was definitely afraid of that look, made worse because he's never really seen it directed towards him.

"Why aren't Duncan and Juliet here?" Molly said, she had become quite close to Hermione's parents over the last four years and she knew they would want to see their daughter as soon as possible.

"Please Mrs... er... Molly, I asked him not to bring them," Jean said, not wanting Harry to be yelled at, it seemed her natural instinct to defend him. "I really wanted to see them... but I don't think I could handle anymore today."

"I'm sorry dear," Molly said truthfully, but she couldn't stop beaming, she couldn't believe that just a few hours ago she had this gaping hole in her chest and now it was almost completely filled (it could never truly be filled, but she couldn't imagine any thing that would have done a better job).

"Mum, stop hogging our new sister!" George said impatiently, he couldn't stand this anymore. And then he turned to her and pulled her into a tight hug, "Merlin it's good to see you Mione! You have no idea how good."

"Yeah, we're all just one big happy family again," Charlie said he wrapped his arms around both Hermione and George and hugged them both.

"Well it's nice to know I'm welcome, George, Charlie," she smiled at each brother receptively, somehow knowing which brother was which (and it was more than just the fact that Ginny had described them to her, she just knew).

"Well, you most certainly are," Percy said smiling at her and hugging her as well, he had always been particularly fond of the younger girl that might have known more them him (it was a lot for him to even admit that much).

"Yes, you're much more welcome into the family than I was," Fleur huffed in a mock haughty voice. "You should feel lucky Hermione."

"Don't worry... I do," she said smiling as she was surrounded by redheads, who were all beaming at her.

"Hermione," Arthur said calmly as he reached her, his face cracked into a smile, and he had so much to say to the girl that he knew his son had loved since the moment they met at the age of eleven, but nothing came out, so he simply hugged her and said, "Welcome home, my dear."

"Thanks," she whispered, she didn't need to hear his words to know his meaning; he was so much like his son.


	22. The Grangers

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters. **

**A/N: Thanks to my beta xxlov3m3x4m3xx**

**Update 11/29/2010**

Chapter Twenty-Two

The Grangers

"You have to tell us how you met," Molly said as soon as Arthur released Hermione, grabbing both her son and his wife's hand, and looking at them curiously. "How long ago was it? Did you know each other from the start... from when your memories start? Did you love each other when your first met..."

"Merlin Gin, she sounds like you!" Ron chuckled towards his sister, reminded of the other day when she had asked the same things, in nearly the same manager.

"No, we didn't know each other when we first woke up," Hermione said smiling at Molly. She then told them the whole story of everything they had been through in the last five years. Ginny supplying more details about their first meeting (laughing particularly hard when she got to Ron's unaffected contraceptive charm; his brothers got a kick out of that one) and what happened afterward. Molly was glaring at her son for just leaving Hermione like that, she had raised her son better than that, and his brother were laughing harder than ever at the fact that he left for food. After that Hermione explain everything that went on for then until just the other day when she had met Ginny.

After that was over it was like all hell broke loss and everyone was talking at the same time, Ron and Hermione must have had five different conversations coming at the each of them at the same time, and yet everything seemed just right. Everyone stayed well into the night, and by the time that everyone but Harry and Ginny had left, Molly was insisting that Ron, Hermione and Ari stay the night. After the time where Hermione had reprimanded Arthur for talking a cookie before he was supposed to, and Mr. Weasley had dropped the cookie that he had just gotten looking guilty, (causing Hermione blushed terribly at that, and everyone else in the room laughed, only making her feel even worse) Harry suggested that they might want to call the boy Ari, to avoid any farther confusion. Anyway, Ari seem really pleased at that idea at staying at the place that was so filled with magic that he couldn't look anywhere without seeing something cool, so Hermione agreed to stay. However, when it was suggested that Ari stay in George's old room she said, "I don't know... would it be safe."

"Don't worry Mione, I assure you all the dangerous items are out of that room now," George said.

"Right," Jean said not looking comforted about that at all.

Charlie and Bill were both sniggering at this and when asked why Charlie said, "Well, it looks like Mione already knows you can't be trusted Georgie..."

"Or she remembers that," Bill tacked on and George pouted. In the end Molly decided to put Ari in Percy's old room, and Ron and Hermione would of course be in the attic bedroom that used to be and was again Ron's room.

"Merlin that was exhausting," Matt said as they climbed up all the stairs.

"You're family is definitely a lot to take in," Jean smiled.

"Oh, you love them and you know it," Matt chuckled.

"I really do," Jean smiled, and at that point they opened the door to Ron's bedroom and was immediately hit by how orange it was. The bedspread was orange and the wall was covered with posters of seven people flying on broomsticks. "I guess we know why you liked that awful shade of orange so much."

"I suppose," Matt chuckled. "Look at these guys... they're actually flying on broomsticks," he added laughing hysterically as was his wife. "You know, I've had tons of fantasies about having my way with you on this bed."

"No you haven't," Jean laughed. "You have no idea what you fantasized..."

"Of course I did," Matt smirked. "What boy doesn't dream about shagging the brains out of his incredible hot best friend..."

"Why would dreams of Harry..." Jean started and Matt groaned.

"My family has obviously been a bad influence on you," Matt said before he pulled Jean in for a kiss.

O

Jean woke up early the next day, she couldn't help it, it was a Monday and she was use to being up at the crack of dawn so she could get to work on time. Of course, she didn't have to go to work today, she had called her boss and asked if she could take some time off (he said absolution not, until he found out the reason and reluctantly let her go). She contemplated trying to go back to sleep but it was rather difficult with her snoring husband being there, so she decided to go down stairs. When she got to the kitchen she half expected to find Molly down there already making breakfast, it seem only fitting, but no, the kitchen was empty.

She wasn't sure what to do now, half of her just wanted to pick up one of the books that was in the kitchen and see what kind of things were in them. She could tell by the names and the fact that things were moving around on the cover, she had never read anything quite like this before. However, she was seized by the urge to make breakfast that she should show her appreciation to the Weasleys for taking them in like that. So, that's what she did, immediately after having that thought she started to make pancakes, enough to feed ten people, knowing that her family alone would have eaten half of that, and Harry was supposed to be stopping by so he could take her to her parents.

"What are you doing?" Matt asked as he stood by the door looking at her, there was a smile on his face and he looked more peaceful than she had seen him in a long time.

"I'm not sure, what does it look like I'm doing?" Jean answered with a similar smile as she turned back to her pancakes.

"It looks like your cooking," Matt said stating the obvious as he walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Brilliant observation, detective," Jean said sarcastically, as Matt started to kiss her neck. "And will you stop doing that, I need to concentrate."

"Hm... I don't think I can," Matt smiled against her neck. "You see I woke up early to find that my wife was gone, and now that you made me climb down all these stairs, well, the least you could expect for me is to do this. Besides, I was kind of hoping to see what my mum was going to make for breakfast... after last night I was excited..."

"Are you saying that my pancakes aren't good enough for you anymore?" Jean huffed, trying to regain her focus at her task at hand, always an impossible thing to do when her husband was in the room, especially when he was holding her like this.

"Er... no, I wouldn't dream of saying that," Matt said, his voice was too amused for her liking. "I just wanted Mum's cooking."

"Hmph," Jean huffed.

"That's not very nice Ronald," Molly said, she had followed Ron down the stairs and has been watching the two interact with a smile. It was so amazing to see how much they had grown in the years that they were lost, how much their relationship had blossomed. They bantered, as she knew they always would, seeing as the many arguments they used to get in as kids, but it was all in fun now. But she could see it; in the way her son couldn't keep away from her, in the way that she leaned into his embrace even when she was slightly annoyed with him, that they loved each other deeply.

"Though, he is right, you really didn't have to do that dear," Molly smiled at her newest daughter in law (er that she knew of that is, Ron and Hermione had actually been married longer than Percy and Audrey). "I would have cook breakfast..."

"I'm sorry," Jean said, she just knew that Molly enjoyed cooking for everyone.

"Don't be silly dear, it's all right," Molly waved her off. "It is nice to take a day off every once in a while."

As soon as the breakfast was done, it seem that both the Arthurs came to the table.

"Did you cook, Mum?" Ari asked as he looked at the pancakes furrowing his eyebrows.

"Yeah?" Jean looked at him confused, "I thought you like my pancakes?"

"I wanted something Grandma made," he frown and then shrugged his shoulders, "I like them though."

Matt smirked, barely able to control his laughter as Jean glared at him.

Molly seemed to be really amused by this whole thing, she could already see so much of her son in the little boy, before she took a bit of her own pancake. She smiled when she said, "it seems that you have remembered what I taught you."

"What do you mean?" Jean asked, as Matt snapped his head towards her too.

"That if I made pancakes myself, they would have tasted the same as these," Molly smiled at her. "You asked me to teach you how to make these during your stay before sixth year... I'm pleased to see you remembered."

"Oh," was all Jean had to say about that, but she was smiling along with Matt.

"No wonder they tasted so familiar to me that first time," Matt said, smiling at his wife.

At that moment there was a knock at the door and Molly got up to answer it. "Neville!" Molly said smiling him as she welcomed him in the house.

"Sorry to bother you this early, but Harry sent me this urgent message this morning telling me that I had to come here right away," Neville said, he was looking a little wary.

"Are you sure it was Harry dear... it didn't have Ginny's handwriting?" Molly asked, looking amused.

"Er... well yeah it did, but she said it was from Harry," Neville said looking at her oddly. "Why? I thought something might be wrong... but it... you're just having breakfast?"

"Oh, I'm sure you'll understand the urgency in a moment," Molly smiled as she led him through the kitchen.

"I don't think that I'm... HERMIONE!" Neville shouted as soon as he saw her at the table looking at him curiously. He immediately ran over to hug her, which shocked her a little but she seemed to be comfortable with this. "Merlin Hermione, they found you!"

"Yeah... er..." Jean said smiling at him, but she really had no idea who he was.

"Neville," Neville said. "I guess they didn't restore your memories back yet, but that's okay, you're here and that's all that matters."

"I couldn't agree with you more," Jean smiled at him. "Oh, and I would like you to met my husband..."

At these word Neville looked around the table, being shocked that she was married just like everyone else was, but also noticed how odd that mischievous smile on Hermione's face was. He had seen it there only a few times before and it was always when she knew something that really was going to be shocking news. So, he looked up and what did he see but Ron (who he had originally missed because it was just normal to find a redhead at this table) sitting there too. "RON!" Neville roared when he noticed his other lost friend and went to give him a hug too.

"Your friend act funny, Mommy," Ari giggled at this, he was quite amazed by all the yelling and cheering that has been going on the last few days.

This caused Neville to pull away from Ron and blush, until his eyes went to Ari and his mouth dropped (which in returned caused the boy to giggle more).

"Don't be rude Arthur," Jean said smiling all the same.

"You have a son... together?" was the first thing that Neville said when he was able to speak.

"Yeah, that was everyone's responds when they found out that news," Harry said, having just Apparated in the room. "I see you got Ginny's owl Nev."

"Yeah," Neville said.

O

So, they all spent the next few hours talking, until ten, when Harry and Hermione left so they could go meet the Grangers. Hermione had insisted that she get to meet her parents first, she really wanted to just see them on her own for a few hours before Ron and Ari came.

"Are you nervous?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Jean said, looking at the door in front of her shaking slightly.

"Don't be," Harry smiled reassuringly at her before he knocked on the door, Jean slightly hiding behind him.

"Coming," a female voice said and second later Juliet Granger was standing at that door. "Oh Harry, what a lovely surprise, you haven't be here in ages."

"Yeah, sorry about that, but you know how I get this time of year," Harry smiled, though that had more to do with the fact that Hermione was completely hidden behind his back now, nearly hyperventilating. He never would have thought of her as one to do something like this. "Is Duncan here too?"

"Of course, you know he likes to bury himself in his study on his days off, " Juliet smiled fondly, but there was sadness in her eyes too, Harry knew this time of year was hard on them too. However, that wasn't going to be the case much longer. "Come on inside, I'm sure he would like to talk to you."

"I'm sure he would like to talk to someone else more," Harry smiled broadly at Juliet, who was looking at him suspiciously now. Jean was still breathing deeply behind Harry's back, she wanted to just rush over to her mum, but she felt that she deserved a reprimanding or something like that and she was quite afraid of that.

"What are you talking about Harry?" Juliet questioned, she was taking in his appearance more and was surprised to see how happy he looked. She didn't think she's ever seen him this happy before and her heart skipped a beat at what that implantation meant.

"This," Harry said taking a step to the side revealing a Hermione that was beyond nervous looking.

"Hermione!" Juliet gasped shaking herself as she looked at her daughter for the first time in almost six years. "Hermione!" she repeated louder after she blinked her eyes a few times, clearly thinking that this must be some kind of dream or something. Though, at the same time she was crying, tears steaming down her face because she knew it was her daughter. They had found her daughter at last.

"Mum," Jean said softly tears coming to her eyes too, her nervous rescinding as she looked at the woman that looked so much like her expect for the fact that she had dark straight hair. Hermione couldn't take it anymore and she threw her arms around her mother and hugged her as hard as she could. Her mum immediately wrapped her arms around her and hugged her back just as hard, exclaiming things that were impossible to understand because she was too excited to form the words that right way.

"Juliet... what's the matter?" Duncan came running to the door to find that his wife was hugging someone with brown hair that was slightly bushy and he stopped where he was mouth hanging open as he realized who that must be.

He continued to watch the two like that until Harry went to him and pushed him towards the two women and said, "go on mate," and Duncan stumbled over to them. When he put his hand on his daughters shoulder she looked at him, tears had obviously been falling from her eyes before this but they seem to double as she looked at him, recognizing her eyes and curls in him and throw her arms around him.

"Daddy," she said, not feeling odd in the least to call him daddy at all. It felt natural and she loved this.

"My little muffin," Duncan said resting his head on hers as his own tears rolled off his face.

"Dad... don't call me that," she whined and both her parents laughed, it was the reaction Hermione had to that since the age of five, but he seem to like calling her that anyways.

Juliet wrapped her hands around her daughter as Duncan kept her firming in place in his own hugged and they stayed like that for a long time, all the them crying and laughing.

"So tell us what's happen... where you've been?" Duncan said after they made their way to the living room, not one of the Grangers allowing Harry to leave when he said that it was a family matter. ('Don't be ridiculous Harry, haven't we made it clear to you that you're family now,' Juliet huffed as Hermione took his hand and give him a pleading look).

"Well it's been a long time since I've hear that question," Jean sighed, it seems like she's been going over that non-stop in the last three days (this being the fourth time).

"Which means we must have been high on your priority list," Duncan said frowning.

"Don't blame me, Dad, Harry's the one that forgot about you," Jean smiled at the boy that was now squirming a little.

"I'm sorry," Harry sighed. "Though, Hermione said that she didn't want to see you yesterday when I mentioned it..."

"Only because that was like five minutes before I was going to meet all the Weasleys... I was already beyond nervous about that," Jean made a face at him.

"Break it up you two!" Duncan said seriously but he was smiling at the two.

"Fine," Jean said. "I was going to win anyway."

"Of course you were," Harry rolled his eyes in mock exasperation, "you always win."

"It's nice to know that things were always that way," Jean smiled. "Lets see, how do I want to tell this story this time..."

"We were right about the Death Eaters erasing their memories and then letting them loose in the Muggle world," Harry said.

"I want to tell the story... you're going to tell it all wrong," Jean pouted.

"Okay Mione, go ahead," Harry laughed.

"The first thing I remember was waking up to chaos," Jean said. "My head was hurting and there were two cars crash by me. And then I met Josh."

"He sounds important, who is he?" Juliet asked.

"He's the man that hit me with his car," Jean said pleasantly, Josh always hated it when she said that.

"What?" both her parents said.

"And my best friend," she added and noticed the darken look in Harry's eyes. "You are going to have to stop doing that Harry."

"I'm sorry," Harry sighed.

Jean looked like she wanted to say more about this but right now wasn't the time, she need to tell her parents about herself. "Moving on. I went to the hospital, got diagnose as having amnesia due to the car accident. Josh was there through all that and help be get a flat and a job."

"So, he was a good guy to hit you," Duncan chuckled.

"That's what I always thought," she smiled at him. "Anyways, I started my job working at Summer's Law as a filing clerk at first but I quickly became an assistant."

"Summer's Law?" Duncan said. "That's impressive, it's one of the top law firms there are. How did this Josh guy get you a job so easily?"

"Well, his dad is kind of the boss... er... James Summer," she said shrugging.

"That would do it," Duncan chuckled. "So, I take it this Josh bloke was rich... wait Josh Summer... isn't he a writer or something..."

"Yes he is," Juliet said blushing a little. "He's one of my favorites... intelligent writer."

"And the fact that he's really good looking has nothing to do with it?" Duncan raised his eyebrows at his wife and she blushed.

"Not at all," Juliet said with as much dignity as she could muster.

"Well, I'll be sure to pass that on to him," Jean laughed. "So yeah, he got me a job and I've been working at the same firm ever since. However, I only worked part time because I started school in the fall..."

"Of course you did," both her parents smiled at her proudly.

"You always loved learning, no matter what the subject was," Duncan smiled fondly; his daughter was a lot like him in that matter.

"So what subject did you study?" Juliet asked.

"Law," she smiled.

"So, are you a lawyer now?" Duncan said.

"You're getting ahead of me Dad," she said impatiently.

"Sorry," Duncan sighed. "I just thought it was a good job for you, you've always been good about arguing your case... no matter what it was."

"Thanks," she smiled. "About a year after I lost my memory I met Matt."

"Matt," Juliet said raising an eyebrow and exchanging a look between her husband; it was obvious by the way she said his name that she really cared about him.

"Yes," she smiled brighter. "We started going out and about seven and a half months later we were married."

"WHAT?" she was sure both her parents screamed but she couldn't hear her dad at all because of how loud her mother was. "YOU'RE MARRIED!"

"Yeah," she smiled at them and her mum got out of the chair that she was sitting on and went to hug her, looking down at her hand and noticing the simple but beautiful ring there that really seem to suit her daughter perfectly. "I can't believe that you're actually married... and I wasn't there... oh Hermione... you..."

"Some great bloke you got, not even here to face us," she could hear her dad muttered from his chair he didn't look pleased at all by this; he looked as if he was sulking in his chair in fact.

"He wanted to come, but I wanted to talk to you alone first," she said in a voice that Duncan had heard her use a million times before and knew what it meant. She wasn't going to let him talk badly about this man she chose to marry.

"Sorry... I just... I didn't even get a chance to give you away," Duncan said sadly and Hermione sighed.

"I'm sorry too," she said.

"Tell me about the wedding," Juliet said excitedly. "Was it big... was is small..."

"It was small, in this nice little chapel just down the street from the house we used to live in. Only Josh and Rachel, who is Josh's girlfriend and my er... well therapist."

"Therapist... what did you need a therapist for?" Juliet asked.

"About my memory lost," she shrugged.

"Right," Juliet sighed. "That must have been hard on you."

"Sometimes, but I had a lot in my life," she smiled. "What with a month after I was married, I gave birth to my son, Arthur."

"WHAT?" Her dad screamed and her mum gasped.

"We're grandparents!" Juliet said clenching her chest.

"We're much too young to be grandparents!" Duncan exclaimed. "And I know you weren't raised that way!"

"Like I remember that," she said rolling her eyes.

"Duncan!" Juliet said exasperated.

"What?" Duncan said, a little heatedly. "They must have... first night..." he seemed to have trouble actually saying the words so he decided just to carry on, "... and the guy didn't even have the decency to marry her until a month before..."

"Actually he wanted to marry as soon as he knew I was pregnant," she said in the same voice she used a moment ago (she decided not to tell her parent about the three months where Ron had left her... it wouldn't help her dad like him), "and every day since. I'm the one that turned him down."

"Why?" her parents asked.

"I didn't want to marry a guy just because I was pregnant," she said looking at them incredulously and they both laughed at that. "I only wanted to marry for love."

"But still, Hermione, you shouldn't..." Duncan sighed looking a little disappointed, something she never liked to see, at least, she was sure she never liked to see it.

"Well, what do you expect from me?" she huffed, in mock irritation. "How was I supposed to control myself when I met the man I've been dreaming about since I was about thirteen and didn't even know it? That he made me feel more at home, at peace with myself than anything every could..."

"What are you talking about?" Duncan said furrowing his eyebrows but at nearly the same time Juliet let out a screech that made everyone jump.

"IT'S RON!" Juliet scream. "YOU MARRY RON!"

"Yes," she smiled broadly and her mum hugged her tightly.

"I can't believe this!" Juliet said still yelling, "I so happy for you!"

"Hmph," Duncan said suddenly smiling. "I supposed that's understandable."

"Thanks Dad," she said rolling her eyes.

"You're welcome," he said sitting down next to his daughter and hugging her too.

"Oh, I bet Arthur... right," Juliet said and Hermione nodded her head. "I bet Arthur is adorable... when do we get to meet him."

"In a few minutes I think," she said looking at the clock above the mantle piece.

"Good," Duncan said. "I can't wait to spoil the little guy..."

"I thought your were disappoint in me..." she said smugly.

"Hermione, there is nothing I want for you more than you to marry a good man and start a family of your own," Duncan said with a watery smile. "And now... now I know you have."

"Daddy," she smiled and hugged him again, just as two people slide out of the fireplace.

Ron stood up, rubbing his right elbow grumbling about how bloody uncomfortable wizard travel was.

"You don't know how odd that is to hear from you," Harry chuckled as he helped his friend up. "Or that you landed flat on your a... bum."

Ron didn't think that deserved an answer as he dusted the soot off himself and Ari as best as he could and then looked at the mess that he made. He than put Ari down and looked at his wife being hugged by her parents and smiled at them.

"Ron!" Juliet said letting her daughter go so she could greet her son-in-law. "It's so good to see you." She hugged him at that and he hugged her back.

"Ron," Duncan said extending a hand to him, which Ron took, feeling a little bit nervous, but that went away a little when Duncan had pulled him in a hug too. "It's good to see that your were found too."

"And that you're married to our daughter," Juliet added with a smile. "I really couldn't hope for anything better. And," she said turning to the little boy that was just sitting there quietly looking at all of them. He reminded her so much of her daughter when she was that age, always respectful of others well beyond her age, but there was no denying that the boy looked mostly like his father. "You must be Arthur."

"Yes, but call me Ari," Ari said excitedly. "Harry called me that... I like it."

"Well, it's a very good nickname," Juliet smiled. "I'm your grandma Juliet."

"Hello," Ari said and went over to her and she dropped to her knees to hug him.

"You are so precious," Juliet said tearing up again. "I can't believe my baby has a baby."

"I know, I feel so old now," Duncan said making a face.

Ari looked at him closely and said, "you no look old."

"That's kid," Duncan laughed and he went over to hug him.

"I can't believe it," Juliet said crying some time later, in fact it was now nearly nine o'clock at night and they had just said goodbye to the others (after making plans to come over tomorrow night for dinner at the Burrow, Ron and Hermione thought it best if they just stayed there for the time being).

"What?" Duncan asked.

"How quickly everything got better," Juliet said. "How everything is right now that she's back with us."

"I know," Duncan said. "But I think that has something to do with knowing that she really had a good life those five years. That we really didn't have to worry about anything when she was gone."

"Yes, that did help," Juliet smiled.


	23. Hermione's Memories

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters. **

**A/N: Thanks to my beta xxlov3m3x4m3xx**

**Update 11/29/2010**

Chapter Twenty-Three

Hermione's Memories

Things had been going well over the next few days. Ron and Hermione stayed at the Burrow and were able to talk a lot to Molly and Ginny (who wasn't doing anything at the moment because it was the off season, though that would change in the next week). Molly thought it would be a good idea if they tried to practice some of their magic, hoping that would help them remember something, and if nothing else, it would be useful for them to know some of these things. As soon as Ari realized what they were doing, he would always insist on being there when his parents learned something; he simply loved seeing anything magical and it made him even more interested when it came from one of his parents. However, that was only when Vicky wasn't there (Fleur dropped her off at the Burrow on the days that she had to work), then he would run off and play with her. Then there was the time that Teddy had come to visit too...

It was just after lunch on Wednesday, and Ron and Hermione were on the couch discussing what they should do next; Ginny had told Ron that she wanted to show him Quidditch so that he could know enough to play the next time the family met, but Hermione wasn't so sure she liked the idea.

"Come on Mione," Matt said, he really did like that nickname, it just seemed right calling her that. "I'm sure it's not dangerous... Ginny seems to think I'll be good at it."

"I just don't get how a broom could hold you up like that..." Jean said biting her lip.

"Yeah, like that's the weirdest thing we've seen in the last few days," Matt rolled his eyes. "I mean you..." But he didn't get to finish because an older witch came out of the fireplace. This made both Ron and Hermione jump; though they had seen it happen before, it was still hard to process. "Case in point," he continued smiling at his wife (who rolled her eyes) before turning back to the witch, who had a small boy in her arms.

"So it is true," the witch smiled at them. "Well, it's certainly nice to finally meet you two."

"Er..." was all Matt could say.

"Sorry, I'm Andromeda Tonks and this is my grandson Teddy Lupin," the witch smiled. "I've heard a lot about you from... well, a lot of people really."

Ron and Hermione both shifted uncomfortably at that, they really weren't the ones that she had heard a lot about, but neither said anything to that effect. "Well, Harry's told us a lot about you, too... though he talked mostly about Teddy," Jean smiled at the little boy, who was looking at them curiously.

"Andy, I didn't know you were coming today," Molly said coming into the room, she looked like she was just about to ask Ron and Hermione something. "And look at you Teddy... you must have grown."

"Nope," Teddy said. "Not really."

"He just made himself a little taller today," Andromeda rolled her eyes. "He's been testing his abilities lately... you should have seen him the time he tried to make himself as wide as he is tall... that really wasn't a pretty sight."

"But it was funny," Teddy giggled. "Grands' face was so shocked."

"I think you've spent too much time with George," Molly shook her head and then turned to Andromeda, who she has grown quite close to over the last five years. As the two women started to talk, mostly about how wonderful it was that Ron and Hermione were finally found, Andromeda let Teddy go and he walked over to the two in the couch.

"Hello," Teddy said to them looking at them closely. "I'm Teddy," he than announced seeming eager to hear their answer to that. It looked almost like he wanted to blurt out, '_who are you'_ but didn't want to be rude.

"Hi Teddy, I'm Jea... er... Hermione," Jean said a little awkwardly. It was a little odd to call herself Hermione after five years of saying Jean. "And this is Ron."

"I knew it," Teddy smiled at them. "You're Harry's friends."

"That's right," Matt smiled too.

"So this means Harry won't be so sad anymore, right?" Teddy asked. "I know I'm always sad when Vicky is away and you've been away for a very long time..."

"Well, we're here now," Matt said. "We'll try and keep Harry happy."

"Good," Teddy said. "Harry is the best! He's so cool! He taught me how to fly!"

"See Mione, even Teddy gets to fly," Matt chuckled. "You just got to let me."

"Fine," Jean groaned and then turned back to the boy who seemed to be chuckling himself.

"You remind me of Grands," Teddy said, looking like he felt the need to explain why he was laughing. "She's very smart. I asked why Harry was so sad once and he told me about you. He said that I would like you two a lot. He said you were cooler than him! Is that true?"

"I don't know about that," Matt said rubbing his head but before he could say anymore, Ari ran down the stairs closely followed by Ginny, who was laughing at whatever it was that Ari just did. He then raced over to his parents, but stopped short when he saw Teddy standing there. His eyes went wide when the other boy's hair seem to change from bright red to sandy brown before his eyes.

"How do that?" Ari asked.

"I'm a Metamorphagus," Teddy said. "I can change my features if I want to."

"Cool!" Ari said looking really impressed. "I'm Arthur, but you can call me Ari."

"Teddy," Teddy said simply.

"Oh... you Vicky friend... she talk all time about you," Ari said rolling his eyes.

"Er..." Teddy said, he was looking confused and thoughtful, and like he was trying to figure out something. Finally he frowned and asked point blank, "are you a Weasley?"

"Teddy don't be rude!" Andromeda chastised.

"Sorry Grands... but I didn't know how else to ask," Teddy sighed, it was obvious that was the reason he was looking uncomfortable a second ago.

"Yeah... Daddy Weasley and so I," Ari smiled. "Just found out."

"Oh," Teddy said turning to the two adults sitting in front of him and looking like he got this.

"Aunt Gin-ney taught me exploding snap... want play," Ari asked.

"Yeah," Teddy said turning back to the boy. It was clear that after that, Ari and Teddy would be close friends as they seemed to really get along well together. Ari seemed to really look up to the older boy, not only because of his wild ability to change his appearances, but his good natural sense of humor just seemed to impress Ari.

Ginny had indeed taught her brother how to fly, though he did find it really difficult at first, nearly crashing a few times, something that both the boys found highly amusing and Jean worried about of course. However, by the end of the day, Ron seemed to have mastered the basics and Ginny even gave him some shots on goals... nothing too difficult of course, she didn't want her brother to think that he was incompetent.

"I can't believe it," Matt said after landing, he was smiling widely. "That was incredible. And you do this for a living."

"Yeah... it's wonderful," Ginny smiled.

O

It was now Sunday (the last day that Ron and Hermione were planning on staying at his parents house) and everyone was at the Burrow once again, including the Grangers, Neville, his girlfriend Hannah Abbot, Luna Lovegood, Andromeda and Teddy. Obviously meeting Luna came something of a shock to Ron and Hermione.

"Oh dear, you have horrible infestation of Wrackspurt," Luna said, her voice was very grave. "They're terribly hard to get rid of."

"Er... okay," Matt said slowly.

"They make your mind go blank... it's no wonder that you can't remember anything. Still, it is wonderful to see you again," Luna smiled and hugged him. Her eyes were watery when she pulled back. "It's been terribly sad with you gone."

"Hello," Hermione said.

"Hermione," Luna smiled and hugged her too. "Yours is just as bad as Ron's..." she then looked at the too of them together. "But it seems that not even the Wrackspurt could make you forget each other."

"Of course not, they only attack the brain," Matt smiled having no idea what he was saying, what this strange but kind girl was talking about. "And anything to do with Mione is in the heart."

"Then it's a good thing that the nargles didn't get you," Luna smiled. "They like to stop people from getting too close together... that's why they always infest mistletoe," she added sadly.

"So Harry," Bill said, he had worked with both Ron and Hermione whenever he had the spare time (his boss wouldn't let him take any more time off and it really wasn't smart to tick goblins off) and still he hadn't figured anything out. It was a few hours later and Bill had really been dying to ask him something. "Did your friend have any news that might help?"

"I wouldn't call him a friend really," Harry said. He had gone to see Theodore Nott again, hoping that he might have some more insight in to what kind of spells were put on Ron and Hermione. "I mean he's nice enough but..."

"That's not the point," Bill rolled his eyes.

"Right," Harry chuckled. "Well, he wasn't really sure. You know with not being there at the time and not seeing Ron and Hermione either..."

"Do you think it would help if he saw them?" Bill asked.

"Honestly, all I think it would do is confirm his theory," Harry said.

"Er... which is?" Bill asked.

"Well, he thinks his dad might not have put up any curses at all," Harry said. "He said something like he knew that if he put up a curse that someone along the line would be able to find the counter curse to it and knowing that we had a curse breaker... one of the best..."

"Stop it Harry... you're going to make me blush," Bill smirked.

"Those were Nott's words not mine," Harry chuckled. "Do you think I really would have said something as ridiculous as that?"

Bill just rolled his eyes and told Harry to continue.

"Anyways, he thought that his dad would be too afraid that we would be able to break the curse too easily," Harry carried on.

"So, it's not a curse," Bill frowned. "I've sort of come up with the same conclusion... I mean that's the only explanation that I could figure that would explain why I can't even see what the curse is. However, it's clear that something is blocking their minds... does he have any clue what that might be."

"He thinks their memories might be sealed..." Harry said. "He gave me this book... Nott said that he's been looking through his house since I told him that Ron and Hermione's memories were erased and he found this. It has all kinds of obscene charms... including this..."

Bill looked at the passage that Harry just point out to him and his eyes narrowed.

_Signum Memoria_

_This charm will cause the victim's memories to be locked inside of their head so completely that they would not be able to remember anything that has happened to them. Though this spell can work for any number of years, it works best if you only try to lock ten years of memories (maybe more depending how powerful the memories you're are trying to lock) because if there is too much there, the victim would have shadows of their memories still in place. However, these shadows are not strong enough to make them remember, just mere feelings of things they were once deeply attached to._

_Unfortunately there has not been a spell that can completely get rid of memories, but some believe that this is the closest you could come. The benefits of using this spell over the other memory charms are that there are no fixed counter curses to it. In a sense, you have locked their memories away until they have heard a certain phrase. You should take care of what you say because the phrase could be said by anyone, however, seeing as you can make it as long as you want, it makes the task of anyone..._

"So you think it's this then," Bill said closing the book there, he had seen enough of this. "I see your point... this does seem to be about right."

"Yeah, and now I have no idea what I'm going to do," Harry grumbled.

"Couldn't you just go and see Nott in Azkaban?" Bill asked.

"I'm never going to do that," Harry said. "It's not like he's going to tell even if I did ask and I don't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing me."

"Come on Harry, don't you think it would be cool to gloat to him," Bill said. "You know, seeing as Ron and Hermione were pretty much happy the whole time, his torture was kind of pointless."

"But I still have to go to him to figure out how to get my friends back," Harry said. "Do you really think that he would say anything after knowing the truth?"

"No, I suppose not," Bill sighed. "So what are you going to do?"

"I would think that whatever it is that Nott used to seal their memories, it was something that the Death Eaters would never think we would say," Harry said.

"So maybe you should try to insult them or something," Bill chuckled.

"Yeah, that should be good," Harry said. "Hermione, you're a stupid Mudblood (Harry cringed at saying the word even in this joking manner) and it doesn't matter if you're smart you're never going to amount to anything in this world."

"I don't know if I would have said the smart part," Bill chuckled.

O

Hermione was having a really good time at this party of sorts. She had enjoyed talking to Luna, and hearing about all the weird creatures that she believed in, but she wasn't so sure that they were real, because of the way that Ginny and George were laughing. Still, she found the conversation fascinating all the same and Luna herself to be very nice.

However, when she noticed that Harry and Bill were talking, she felt they might be discussing her memory loss and she really wanted to know if anything new had been discovered. So, she excused herself, noticing that Ari was sitting on her dad's lap listening to him and Arthur talk about Muggle and Wizard things with enthusiasm.

"...insulting them or something," she heard Bill said, and she paused, that was sort of a weird things to say... perhaps this had nothing to do with her and she should leave them alone.

"Yeah, that should be good," Harry said. "Hermione, you're a stupid Mudblood and it doesn't matter if you're smart you're never going to amount to anything in this world."

At those words Hermione head started to hurt. It started as a sharp pain in her forehead, but it quickly spread to the rest of her and she reached her right hand to her head as the left held onto the back of a chair to keep her standing. The pain didn't die away, it felt like fire was in her head, though she wasn't screaming from it, it was like her mouth was sown shut and she wasn't able to say anything. Soon things started to flash in her head, things that she had heard described the last few days, but were some much more real now...

Hermione was just blinking her eyes, her head pains were starting to resend now, but it left her head feeling very heavy. So much had just been dumped into her mind that she couldn't really make sense of much. It had felt like she had been standing in that room for a lifetime, or at least eighteen years of it, but nothing had changed. It couldn't have been anymore than a few minutes and she wasn't even sure it had been that long. What with the suspicious look that Harry was giving her right now.

"That's not very funny, Mione," Harry said.

"What?" Hermione had to struggle to say. What was going on? What are you talking about? What happening? Were just a few of the questions going through her mind right now but she couldn't make sense of any of them, though with each second it seems like her mind was getting clearer. Things where starting to fall into place.

"You heard what I was saying to Bill," Harry frowned, "and you think it's funny to pretend..."

"First of all," Hermione said gathering her voice, she was a little irritated by what he was saying, her confusion was clearing up, and her first fourteen year seem to be more real than the last nine, her mind seemed to be reforming making everything go back into the proper order. "I have no idea what you and Bill were talking about..."

"So you just got a headache the exact moment that I say that," Harry shook his head and looked at Bill, who was looking odd, like he didn't know what to believe. He then looked at the others that were near by, which included Neville, Andromeda, Juliet, Charlie and Percy, and they were all looking at him. "I'm not going to believe that."

"And what makes you think it's an act," Hermione said, her eyes widen. Her memories were at the final battle now, Harry died, and she couldn't believe that he was standing in front of her, but even as she thought that she remembered him waking up and defeating Voldemort once and for all.

"Because there's no way that it would work like that," Harry snorted. "That I would just happen to say the right words like that... the odds have to be trillion to one."

"You know that I wouldn't joke like that," Hermione said a little hurt, her memories had now reached to about twenty, during the time that Ron and Hermione had their misunderstanding, she wasn't feeling too good at the moment about that, only vaguely knowing that everything was going to workout all right in the end. It wasn't helping at all that Harry was doubting her like this, but she couldn't out right say that she could remember. She didn't want this weird disconnecting feeling when she told him.

"Well Hermione wouldn't, but Jean would," Harry said. "She a bit more mischievous."

"Hmph," Hermione said, really annoyed by that, as she sat there glaring at her best friend, the boy she long ago come to love as a brother, and now can remember, the last of her memories settled and she was complete again. She remembered everything in her life. She then fixed Harry with her most Hermione-ish mischievous smirk, the one that he had seen when she had shown him Rita Skeeter in the bottle, one that he hadn't seen often but he knew that it meant trouble for him. "So you won't mind if I tell everyone about the time that the giant squid had taken..."

Harry's eyes went wide, he turned red and he clapped a hand over her mouth. That was his first reaction, but it only took a second for him to realize what she had just said. What it had meant and he looked at her with wide eyes, as tears started to form there.

"Hermione," he said weakly, and then hugged her. There was nothing weak about his hug, he was squeezing her so tightly that he might have been crushing her, but she didn't even notice, because she was hugging him back just as tightly.

"What's going on?" Charlie asked and everything in the room seemed to stop. Everyone was looking at Harry and Hermione hugging, Bill looking at them with his mouth wide open looking gobsmacked.

"I think... I think Hermione remembers," Bill said slowly.

"What?" several people said.

"How?" Percy asked.

"I don't... we were just joking..." Bill said still looking shocked.

"Well, then I think it was an excellent joke," Hermione said smiling at him. "Thank you."

"Er..." was all Bill could say before Hermione was hugging him. It was so weird to feel like she had just met these people, been gone for five years and just remembering them all at the same time.

"You really remember," Neville asked going over to her beaming.

Hermione didn't say anything at first, she just hugged him. "Of course," she finally said and seeming to try and prove her point she asked, "how is Trevor doing."

"He's good, he really likes the garden that I have," Neville chuckled.

"So, why did you wait so long to ask Hannah out?" Hermione whispered to him, causing the boy to go bright red. He had come to her for advice in the last weeks of their sixth years (before Dumbledore's death) about how to ask a girl out. She had just found out early today that they hadn't got together until months after the war had ended.

"Er... I had a lot to do my last year," Neville said nervously. "Besides, it's hard talking to girls..."

"Weren't your two best friends during your last year girls?" Hermione smirked at him.

"Er..." Neville said smiling sheepishly and blushed again. "You know what I meant."

Hermione laughed. "I'm just glad everything worked out for you."

"Thanks," Neville said.

"Hermione?" Juliet asked, looking at her daughter in the eyes and than smiled, she could see her daughter in those eyes.

"Mum," Hermione said, her heart pulling, the emotional connection running deeply for her.

It was soon known around everywhere that Hermione had remembered and everyone came to her, it was like being found all over again. Everyone was cheering, asking how it happened, and as soon as Harry had said what he had did to make her remember George smirked.

"So, I think we all know what that means," he said looking at Ron, who was holding his wife smiling. Hermione face was hard to read, but it looked like she was both blushing at being able to be this close to him and completely used to be sitting there.

"What?" several people asked.

"That we all have to start insulting Ron until he remembers," George said. "Something that I would do anyways of course, but it would be nice that Mum can't yell at me for it."

"That is a good point," Ginny smirked and the two of them did indeed keep saying as many insults they could think of for as the rest of the evening.

"I'm not so sure that plan is going to work," Harry whispered to Hermione, they were about to apparate them to their house and he didn't seem to want to leave. Hermione didn't really seem like she wanted him to go either, but she was also looking forward to being alone with Ron, a thought that sent a shiver down her spine.

"Probably not, but it couldn't hurt," Hermione shrugged.

"Are you sure... you know how sensitive he can get," Harry said.

"Yeah... I do know that," Hermione smiled broadly. "But he's not exactly like that anymore, Harry. I mean, Matt has a lot more confident now."

"Matt?" Harry said questioningly. "I would have thought you would call him Ron now."

Hermione looked uncomfortable by that, she didn't know why she had called him that, she had definitely been calling him Ron in her head and out loud since she got her memories back.

"Well, I think we should get going," Harry said picking up Ari and reaching for Hermione, Ron and Ginny (who was still saying insults to him) had just left.

"I can apparate myself now, remember," Hermione said smugly before she vanished from the spot with a soft pop.

"How could I forget," Harry chuckled to himself and then joined her.

Soon after Harry and Ginny left them, Hermione told Arthur to get ready for bed.

"It's nice to be back in this flat again... I'm mean, I love the Burrow, but you know, it's good to be home," Matt said as he watched Hermione closely.

"Yeah... it is good to be home," Hermione said, though had wished that she could have stayed at the Burrow just one more night, with her memories intact, the place meant a whole lot more to her. "I've just got to put Arthur to bed and then I think we're going to have to have a nice talk..."

"Right," Matt smiled but his eyes looked different than usual and she wasn't sure what they meant.

"So Arthur... what do you want me to read you tonight," Hermione said smiling as she sat on his bed.

"Nothing," Ari said looking at her with wary eyes. "I tired now."

"Arthur," Hermione said voice shaky now as she furrowed her eyebrows. "What's the matter?" Hermione then reached out a hand to him but he recoiled from it looking a little scared. She dropped her hand, looking devastated... her son was terrified of her. She looked pleading at him, she didn't want to show him how much this had hurt her, but she couldn't hide all of it.

"You different," Ari said softly, he hated to see his mother this way, but he couldn't really understand what was going on. All he knew was that she was different than she was just a few hours ago... different from what she had always been, and he didn't know what that meant.

Hermione didn't know what to do or say to that. She was different than what she was before, but she was the same too. It's not like she had forgot one minute of being Jean... of being Arthur's mother, but how could she explain that to him. She didn't try... not right now when she knew that her voice would break and she would cry, that wouldn't prove to him that she was still the Mum he knew. "Goodnight Arthur," she said like she always did, leaning over to kissing his forehead like always, flinching when he did and then left the room. She stayed by the door for a second, crying, how could her son be afraid of her like this?

Then she made her way to her bedroom, she really needed to be held by Ron right now, but when she came into the room she wasn't sure she liked what she saw. Ron eyes were furrowed and he looked like he was thinking about something seriously. He had that look in his face for the last hour or so and it didn't really make her feel good.

"What's the matter Ron?" Hermione asked, her voice heavy with emotions. Ron's eyes tightened for a moment before he looked at her.

"Nothing's wrong," Matt said, voice normal but she could see in his eyes that he wasn't exactly being truthful. "What's the matter with you?" he then asked noticing how strained she looked.

Hermione swallowed hard, she knew that something wasn't right here, but she wasn't sure if she should let it go or confront him. She knew either one of them could be bad and she made up her mind before she could even think about it, she didn't want to tell him what Ari had just said. "Tell me wants the matter Ron... you can't hide anything from me."

Ron eyes narrowed at that and she knew that she said the wrong thing, that it probably would have been better if she just let this go tonight. "Of course I can't," Matt said bitterly.

"Matt," Hermione said walking towards him, not hiding any of the feeling that she was having at the moment but he wasn't looking at her. "You hate that I remember don't you..."

"No," Matt said, his voice was sincere and that caught her off guard. What else could be bothering him? Matt noticed her look this time and sighed. "I'm happy that you remember. The way you looked tonight... with everyone else... you were so happy."

"But..." Hermione said knowing it was coming, she should have let it drop but it didn't seem like she wasn't capable of doing that.

"It's ridiculous... just come here Mion... Mine," Matt said and he looked flustered just saying her name.

Hermione walked over to him, it felt awkward, he wasn't looking at her the right way and she didn't like that. He seemed to be angry and sad at the same time, but was trying to hide it. She sat on the side of the bed, biting her lip, looking at him longingly as her heart pounded in her chest. She didn't have a choice about asking him this time. She had to know what he was thinking about now, she couldn't stand that look in his eyes. "Please tell me what it is Ron," she whispered.

He frowned, his eyes going tight when she said his name. "I'm not Ron."

She looked at him confused, not sure what he meant by that.

He sighed again, looking angry, but he wasn't angry at her, he was angry at himself. "I'm not him. I'm not the guy that you grown up with and I don't know how to be him..."

"But you..." Hermione tried to say, but he wouldn't let her talk.

"And you keep calling me Ron... and I know I'm not him... I can't be him," Matt said defectively. "It didn't matter with the others. They all knew me as only Ron... But Jean... Hermione... I don't know how to be Ron to you. And I don't know the first thing about you..."

"Matt..." Hermione said with tears in her eyes.

He flinched again as she that name. "Don't humor me..."

"I wasn't trying to humor you," Hermione said softly.

He looked at her, she was crying and he hated himself for that, he should have just kept his big mouth shut, but how could he? She asked him, and said she knew him. That's right, she knew everything about him... But could he say that about her. He used to be able to say that, but he didn't know if that was true anymore. He looked her over, and besides the fact that she was crying, he had no idea what she was thinking. She was his wife, but there was something so different about her, something almost intimidating about her. However, what was getting him the most right now was that he just knew that she wanted him, but not him. She wanted Ron, the person that he once was but he may never be again.

"I don't know if I could live in his shadow... I know that's what you really want... you want me to be him and that might never come," Matt said after a long silence.

Hermione just let out a sob, shaking her head, that wasn't true... well, not in the way that he was saying it anyways. Of course she wanted Ron to remember who he was too, but she loved the man, not his memories. Just because he didn't know who he was, didn't mean he wasn't Ron. However, all she could said was, "that's..."

"Don't tell me that's not true!" Matt said heatedly. "How could it possibly not be true?"

"You're are such an idiot..." Hermione sobbed. She looked at him, she was reminded of all the fights that they had when they were younger... when they were Ron and Hermione, were she could never just tell him what she really meant. That same feeling hit her so strongly that she had forgotten that she had been married to this man for three years and she knew exactly how she felt about him. The anger and hurt in his eyes didn't seem to help any at the moment, so much like he was back in their days at school. The response she was going to say was dead as soon as she looked at him and she just got up. "I can't deal with this right now."

He looked at her, she had her back to him and his frown became more dejected. He really hated himself for doing this today, she was so happy at the Burrow, he was so happy there too. Why the bloody hell did he have to think of this now. He was such an idiot and he didn't deserve her. "Don't go."

She looked at him, hoping to see him look normal again or at least a softened expression, but that's not what she saw. "I can't take this from you too right now... I'm sorry..." she said and stopped herself, she was about say his name and found that she didn't know what to call him, knowing that he wouldn't like her calling him either of his names. That thought pained her and she left the room... she was feeling a lot worse than she felt in a long time, but she knew exactly where she needed to go.

**A/N: Okay, the first part of this chapter didn't really turn out how I thought it would, but it was the best I could do. Also, I know I've already had Ron reacting badly to Hermione being found, but I just didn't see her being upset with and there has to be a reaction like this or it wouldn't be a good memory lost story. Anyway, I can see Ron being insecure about this. **


	24. Need to talk

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters. **

**A/N: Thanks to my beta xxlov3m3x4m3xx**

**Update 11/29/2010**

Chapter Twenty-Four

Need to talk

He wasn't sure how he heard it, it was nothing more than a faint pop, but he knew what it meant. Perhaps he heard it because he thought this might happen. He had seen the look in his best friends eyes those last few hour that told him that something was going to go wrong, and that was the reason why he couldn't go to sleep. He got up, smiled briefly at his finance snoring happily, she really was a sound sleepier.

"Hermione," he said as he walked into his living room hearing sniffing sounds.

"I'm sorry... I shouldn't have bother you," Hermione said, her voice raspy.

"Don't be ridiculous... you can bother me anytime you need," Harry said going to sit next to her. "So, I take it things didn't go so well after we left."

"Not at all," Hermione said miserably. "My son afraid of me and my husband thinks I want him to be a different person..."

"Arthur's afraid of you," Harry said sadly, he really wasn't expecting that one.

"Yeah," Hermione said starting to cry and Harry put an arm around her and she leaned on his shoulder. "H-he thinks I-i'm d-different."

"That must be rough," Harry sighed and squeezed her. "But he's just confused right now... I'm sure you could work it out in no time."

"You have n-no idea h-how hard it i-is to have your s-on be a-afraid of you," Hermione said, her voice as angry as she could muster.

"No I don't," Harry said heavily. "But he's right, you are different. I can see it in your eyes. We've seen so much in our lives... so many terribly things, you can't help but look different. You just have to make him see that the difference doesn't make you care about him any less."

Hermione didn't say anything for a long time, she just continued to cry on his shoulder. When she did say something, her voice was firm and she said, "when did you get so wise, Harry?"

"I went through a lot when you were away," Harry said heavily. "And honestly about the eyes... well, I just took that from something that Ginny said about me once. I thought it would work here."

Hermione chuckled at that. "You've seem to have grown up a lot with out me."

"So have you Mione," Harry said.

"It's a little sad... to think that for five years I didn't know you," Hermione groaned. "Oh Merlin Harry, that must have been so hard on you... with us both being gone like that."

"It was torture," Harry admitted, his voice getting raspier, but it felt so natural to open up to her like this. It was like it was the first day after the final battle and they didn't miss five years of each other's lives. "If it wasn't for Ginny... I don't think I would have made it. Part of me wanted to curl up in ball an just stay there... but I had to find you..."

"Harry," Hermione said sitting up and looking him straight in the eyes. "You never got to relax did you. After everything that happen in the war... and then we were gone... I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault," Harry said. "Besides, I knew you were alive and that helped. And I had Ginny, like I said. She was brilliant... saving me from wasting away. Neville was there too... helping to try to find you guys... backing me up. Of course Molly and Arthur took me in as always..."

"Let me guess, you didn't think they would at first," Hermione said with a knowing look. "I bet you thought you cost them too much..."

"And the rest of the Weasley, making me feel like family," Harry said ignoring her statement, and she rolled her eyes saying that wouldn't fool her. "You're parents too... I was surprised how accepting of me they were."

"Of course they were," Hermione smiled, she was really starting to feel better being able to talk to him like this. Though she had just realize how much she has really missed him today, she still knew that she had longed to talk to him like this for five years. "I love you like a brother Harry... and I think they knew that."

"Really Mione?" Harry smiled widely.

"Really," Hermione smiled back him just the same way.

"You too, you know," Harry said. "I love you like a sister. And I love R... well..."

"You love Ron like a brother," Hermione supplied smiling, she didn't really mind that he brought Ron up like that, even when she was still upset about how he was acting right now.

"Yeah," Harry said. "You two were my first family, you know. The first people to care about the me... well that I knew of. My parents... Sirius, Remus... I know they cared before... but you were the first two that I really knew about..."

Hermione was starting to cry again, and this time she was the one that was squeezing Harry as some tears came to his own eyes.

"I was so afraid that I would never get to tell you that," Harry finally said several minutes later. "You have no idea how good it is that you remember me... I know right now might not be the best time to say it... but I'm so happy that I have you back."

"And that's why I'm happy I remember," Hermione said thickly, hugging him tighter than before. "Even if part of me really hates it at the moment."

"Sorry," Harry really wasn't sure what to say to that.

"It's okay," Hermione sighed, she was comfortable here and she really didn't want to go back to her flat yet, though she knew what she had to. It wasn't like her to run from her fights like this, it was just that she was feeling so mixed up from her experience. Being with Harry like this just made her feel some much better, so much more like herself. She knew that Ron could have done this for her too, but of course he had to be acting like an unsecured prat now. No, she wasn't ready to go home quite yet, so she decided to ask Harry about something that's been bugging her for awhile now. "Harry?"

"Yeah," Harry said softly, she could hear the smile in his voice. She looked at him and he was looking a little tired, a little emotionally drain, but more at peace than she's ever seen him.

"What's your problem with Josh?" Hermione asked.

"Oh?" Harry said frowning, "I don't have a problem with Josh."

"Harry!" Hermione said raising her eyebrow, "who do you think you're talking to?"

Harry chuckled and then sighed. "Fine. It's just... I feel like you replaced me."

Hermione didn't say anything about that, she just furrowed her eyebrows as she thought. Was Josh a replacement for Harry. She had been so upset with Josh for thinking of her as a replacement for his sister, but was she doing the same thing with him without even realizing it. "I suppose he sort of was... I mean he is certainly important to me. And my relationship with him is sort of similar to ours."

Harry shifted uncomfortable, he really didn't like her confirming this, it just made her feel more distant from him.

"But Harry," Hermione said smiling at him. "It's no where near as powerful as ours. I know that Ron is my soul mate... even if he is being a git right now..."

"What else is new?" Harry muttered causing her to giggle but otherwise went on as if he didn't interrupted.

"When I first met him four years ago... I felt it," Hermione said and then smiled at Harry. "And when I saw you Harry... it was different, but I felt something then, too. You're the only other one that felt like that. You're more than just a brother or best friend to me... I... I don't..."

"I get it," Harry said and they hugged again, it was different this time, more comforting. It was almost four in the morning when they moved again, but Hermione seem to think that it was finally time that she went back home.

"Thanks Harry, for being here for me," Hermione smiled at him.

"I always will be you know," Harry smiled back at her, "whenever you need me, I'll be here."

"I know," Hermione said. "Same goes for me."

"You really don't need to say that... you proved that in our first year," Harry chuckled.

"I suppose," Hermione chuckled too and then she Apparated back home.

When she got to flat she really wasn't sure what she was going to do next, it was four in the morning after all. She didn't really thinking going to her room would have been the best things to do because then she would have to talk to Ron and she didn't want to do that yet. So, she decided to go to Arthur's room and see how he was doing. When she got there he was tossing and turning in his bed before he sat bolt upright in his bed panting. She step towards him, wanting to go to comfort him, but he still looked scared of her. His expression made her mind up for her, he was looking terrified of both the dream and her and she wasn't going to take it.

"Arthur," she said softly, walking over to him and hugging him, pulling him closely to her chest. She was holding him just as she always have when he was upset about something and after only a second of shivering he seem to melt in her chest.

"Mommy," Ari said gravely.

"I'm here, love," Hermione smiled lying down in his bed still holding tightly onto her.

"You left," Ari said snuggling close to her, and she stroked his hair like she always did, he was looking at her sadly.

"How do you know that?" Hermione asked.

"You and Daddy fight," Ari shivered, he never liked that.

Hermione sighed, she didn't think she and Ron were that loud. "I'm sorry you heard that."

"Don't leave gain," Ari said holding onto her tightly.

"I won't... I promise," Hermione smiled at him and Ari smiled back.

"I sori, Mommy," Ari said a moment later, "for before."

"It's okay Arthur," Hermione said. "I am different than before, but you know my love for you hasn't changed. I love you so much my little man."

"I know," Ari smiled and started to close his eyes sleepily. "Love you."

Hermione kissed the top of his head and soon the two of them were asleep.

O

He was feeling like crap when he finally got out of bed at eight in the morning. He knew he was being a selfish prat, ruining her day like he did, but he couldn't seem to stop himself for telling her what he did. Still, it hurt when she left like that, and he didn't really like how she had said that she couldn't take this from him too... like something else bad happened to her that day. When he noticed his son's door open he looked in and he had to smile, though the image made him sad at the same time. His wife and son were sleeping together, both having an odd smile on their face. It was good to see them like this, he was pretty sure what she had meant with her early statement; Arthur hadn't really taken the news any better than he did. Obviously they had resolved their issues.

Ron just stood there, looking a the two of them, trying to work out his feelings. Then, Hermione looked up at him, she could feel his eyes on her, and theirs eyes met. Her were sad, longing, and his depressed and self loathing and neither one said anything. And then...

"Mum?" Ari said causing Hermione to look down at her son.

"What is it, love?" Hermione said.

"I'm hungry," Ari said and she laughed.

"You are your father's son," Hermione chuckled and sat up, he held his arms out for her and she carried him into the kitchen. Ron was there, already having poured cereal for Ari to eat. Breakfast was a very awkward affair indeed, neither Ron or Hermione knew what to say so only Ari chattered away. That was until there was a popping sound and Harry was suddenly in the room with them.

"Oh good... I didn't wake you up," Harry smiled.

"What are you doing here so early?" Matt asked.

"Well, I was thinking about taking Ari to your brother shop today..." Harry said.

"No," Hermione said looking scared. She did not want her son anywhere near that joke shop.

"Come on Mione, it's safe, I promise," Harry smiled at her.

"What's so bad about a joke shop?" Matt asked.

"Nothing... Mione just doesn't have a sense of humor," Harry chuckled.

"Shut up, Harry," Hermione growled.

"Fine, I'll take him to the Quidditch shop... I was thinking about getting Teddy, too... the boys seem to really like each other," Harry said. "I'll be taking them all day."

"That sounds good to me," Hermione said, knowing that Harry was just trying to give her and Ron some time to talk.

"Yeah... great," Matt said warily, was he ready for this yet? He was still feeling so mixed about this whole stupid things.

About ten minutes later Harry and Ari were gone and Ron and Hermione were left alone.

"So..." Matt said, not knowing what to say.

"We, need to talk," Hermione said narrowing her eyes at him.

"I'm sorry for what I said last night," Matt sighed, he knew that look meant danger, which didn't mean that he wasn't genuinely sorry, it just meant that he had to say this now before their fight begin.

"I know," Hermione said not looking at him. "I was the one that made you say it in the first place."

"Yeah," Matt agreed and Hermione glared at him, but her mouth twitched upwards.

"But I don't like to run from my problems," Hermione said.

"Good to know," Matt muttered, almost bitterly.

"I know that a lot of what you said last night is a problem," Hermione said in her business like tone. "I am different than I use to be," she continued gravely, "I've been through a lot of thing... but there is so much of what you said that just isn't true."

"Really?" Matt said defensively, a stance that she's seem him take many times both as Matt and as Ron. "And what have I've gotten wrong this time."

"Don't use that tone with me R..." Hermione trailed off, she was about to call him Ron and she was sure that was only going to tick him off farther.

"I'll use whatever tone I want to use... whoever you want to be call right now," Ron hissed back, and she just stared at him with an opened mouth. It was like they were back at Hogwarts, and they couldn't communicate with the other without yelling. It was unnerving, because it seem like just moments ago she was arguing with him like this and years ago. Matt has never once argued like this with her. She almost smiled at that thought, as sad as it was.

"I don't care what you call me... Jean's fine... so is Hermione..." Hermione tried to stay calm.

"Oh yeah... that's just bloody nice, I don't even know what to call my bloody wife," Matt huffed, more irritated them angry. "How the hell am I supposed to know where I stand with you when I don't even know your name... when you don't know mine?"

"Because you should know by now that names don't matter!" Hermione yelled back, her teenage self seeming to take over and it was just so natural to fight with Ron this way. "Not with us. I don't give a damn what you want me to call you... it's who you are that I love! That I've always loved!"

"That's just it... I don't know who the fuck I am!" Matt yelled. "And now that you remember everything... I feel like I don't even know who I've been for the last five year! I'm fucking nobody, Hermione."

"Damnit, don't say things like that!" Hermione shouted at him. "You know it's amazing that the more you insisted that you don't know who you are the more you act like your old self!"

"Thanks for bloody pointing that out... that just makes me feel loads better!" Matt hissed sarcastically.

"Well if you stop being such a damn git and let me speak you might understand something," Hermione glared at him. She was breathing heavily and she wasn't sure how she got into this fighting match with Ron, but she had to stop. This wasn't going to solve their issues. For all she knew, one of them was going to say something terrible causing them not to speak for days... if they were lucky.

However, when she looked up to Ron, still trying to gather her cool, the look he was giving her was something she recognized immediately. His eyes were smelting, and she could see pure lust in them, uncontrollable lust. It went straighten to her stomach and turned her on like nothing else could. It was the look that she had always tried to get out of him when they fought as kids, the one that always drove her wild, but she never knew what it meant. But she does now. It was the same look Matt would give her right before spontaneously shagging her brains out. The fact that she now realized that he wanted to do that back them... well it was an incredibly heady experience.

However, having Ron actually grab her rough and brought their mouths together in a burning kiss, was so much more. She was completely Hermione Granger now, an eighteen year old girl that was really being kissed by Ronald Weasley for the first time after the war. It was intoxicating feeling his lip against her as she had dreamed about on numerous occasions, warming her whole body with need. His arm now wrapped tightly around her and pulling her as closely to him as he could, but it still wasn't close enough.

He lifted her up, and she wrapped her legs around him, still kissing him with everything she had. When he leaned her against the kitchen wall and she could feel his hardness against her, however, it made her gasped. It remained of Matt and Jean's first time and that thought seem to clear her head a little. And when she could think she knew this wasn't want she wanted.

"Stop," she said as he started to kiss her neck.

He didn't seem to realize what she was saying at first, but soon he looked at her, his eyes were hurt. "Sorry," he muttered. "I suppose _Hermione_ doesn't like it this way..."

She frowned at him, of course he would say something like that. That he would think that she was so different that she wouldn't like getting shagged thoroughly by him. "That's not it at all... Hermione likes it like this just as much as Jean does..." Matt narrowed his eyes at her but didn't say anything. "It's just," she went on, her voice was a little more vulnerable than normal and his expression soften. "I don't want my first time to be again a wall..."

"First time?" Matt said his expression was very confused, and more hurt than ever, but before he could say more she place a finger over his mouth, still looking vulnerable, here eye pleading him just to listen to her.

"I remember everyone moment with you, Matt," Hermione said softly and was pleased to see that he didn't flinch when she said his name. "I remember every touch... everyone lingering kiss... everything that's passed between us," she was now smiling fondly at him, brushing his hair out of his eyes. "But at the same time, there's a part of me that's only dreamed of being with you..."

"Not me," Matt said, his eyes turning sad.

"Yes you," Hermione shook her head at him smiling. "Weren't you listening a minute ago. You're you, no matter what your name is, or what you remember. You're the man that I love... will always love."

"But I don't remember... I can't be him," Matt said gravely.

"But you are him," Hermione said. "Matt, right now you're more like Ron than you've ever been. Less confident... unsure about how I feel about you... thinking I might like someone more than the I do you... of course this time you're jealous of yourself, so I would say that's a small improvement."

"Well, you certainly paint a nice picture of what I used to be like," Matt said frowning.

"And you're my best friend, that knows me better than anyone else," Hermione continued and wouldn't let him interrupt this time. "And I don't mean my past... I mean me. You know everything about me without even realizing it. When we first moved in together, how many time did you tell me what I like before I even realized it. That I like my coffee with one sugar no cream. That when I'm feeling overwhelmed, hot chocolate is the only thing that calms be down... well, that or a good shag, but that was something that we discovered ourselves. That my favorite flower are yellow roses... it's because it means friendship, by the way, and that's always been the most precious thing to me. It was why I was so scared to tell you how I felt about you. I was afraid it might ruin our friendship...

"I don't care who you are... what you remember," Hermione said stroking his face and looking into his deep blue eyes. "Yes, I do want you to remember everyone... because there are some many things that we've been through together... but if you never do. That won't make me love you any less than I do. I love you."

Matt didn't say anything as he let her word wash over him, his heart beating roughly in his chest. He could feel it in her words... she really meant this. She loved him, even if he can't be Ron, she still loved him. Of course he knew that already, but there just was something about the way she was saying this now that made him see clearly that it was okay for him just to be Matt. She loved him, the man, not the name.

"What did I ever do to deserve a woman like you," Matt sighed resting his head against her shoulder.

"Lots and lots of good things," Hermione smiled. "You've always been a wonderful man."

"That's good to know," Matt smiled and then he kissed her softly.

"Mmmm..." Hermione moaned in his mouth her teenage hormones seeming to kick in again and she couldn't stand just talking to him anymore. "Come on," she said taking his hand and leading them back to their room, "it's about time you make all my fantasy come true."

"Anything you say, Mione," Matt smiled, following her happily.


	25. Talking

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters. **

**A/N: Thanks to my beta xxlov3m3x4m3xx**

**Update 11/29/2010**

Chapter Twenty-Five

Talking

Hermione laid in Ron's arms, truly feeling more at peace than she had in her life. They had just made love for what a part of her felt like the first time and it was everything that she had dreamed of... and she had dreamed of this many times in the past. The odd, but incredible, thing was that it really was exactly how she imagined her first time with Ron would have been like... him... alright, them both being a little awkward together, not exactly sure how to act with each other now, but somehow that didn't matter because they were together.

"So did I live up to your expectations love?" Matt asked, smiling down at her. He was so afraid yesterday, afraid that she could never want him... well the him that he was at the moment, he never would have imagined that just twelve hours later that he could feel this good. This reassured him that she loved him, no matter what he remembered. And again, just like everything, either one of them had learned another piece of their past, he felt more complete when the dust settled.

"Yes... it was perfect," Hermione smiled at him. "Even when you fumbled around like you had no idea what you were doing..."

"Er..." he said turning a little red, "you said it was like your first time... I thought you might want it..."

"See what I mean," she said leaning up and stroking his face lovingly, "you know me. You know how to make everything perfect... I love you so much, R..." she stopped herself there, frowning a little. When she spoke again her voice was grave, "I still don't know what to call you."

"You seemed to call me Ron a lot a few minutes ago," he smiled smugly.

"You didn't seem to mind so much then," she smiled back.

"It seemed right," he admitted, and it had. Everything about the last hour seemed to have been just right, but now, he really wasn't sure what he wanted to be called by her.

"So can I call you Ron... or do you want to be called Matt?" she asked noticing that he was furrowing his eyebrows.

"I don't know," he shifted uncomfortably. "Just call me whatever comes to your mind... I don't think it's going to bother me anymore... or at least not as much as it did last night."

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet," she said.

"Exactly," he beamed at her. "You should have said that last night Mione, it might have made me see sense sooner."

"I might have if you had listened to me, love," she shot back at him.

"Right... my bad," he chuckled. "So, was I really your first time... I mean your first, first time?"

She rolled her eyes at the questioned, "You know you were."

"Were you mine?" he asked softly.

This time she furrowed her eyebrows and sighed, "I don't know. We never had the chance to talk about it."

"So I might of..." he started but trailed off when he saw her flinch. "Sorry."

"It 's okay... I just imagined I would be on the other side of this conversation," she almost smiled at him. "You had a girlfriend in our sixth year... I don't know how serious you were..."

He frowned, he didn't like the tone she was using; she sounded a little hurt and more than a little angry. "With someone named Lavender right... George told me about it... He said it was a bit of a joke of a relationship..."

"I wouldn't say that," she said her voice cold.

This wasn't a voice that he was used to at all and he wasn't sure if he wanted to talk to her about this any longer; there were a lot of other things that he wanted to ask her about. However, he didn't want to leave this if it was something that would bother her.

"Was it really that bad?" he asked in trepidation.

"It was the first time that you broke my heart," she muttered.

He stiffened at that, feeling horrible, even worse because her voice sound so small. He swallowed hard and asked the first questioned that came to his mind, "I broke your heart more than once?"

"Yes..." she said in the same voice. "I don't think..."

"What happened?" he asked before she could finish.

"Matt... I don't think... we don't need to talk about this," she said in a heavy voice and he knew that she was close to tears.

"I need to know this," he said after a moment of thought. "I don't want to ever act like an idiot again and hurt you..."

"You won't," she said smiling at him, but then she bit her lip. "I thought that we were going to get together... I even asked you out... Okay so it wasn't the best way to ask you, and I'm pretty sure you thought that it was just as friends, but still I asked you out and I thought we were going to get together," she said this very face as if it would hurt her less if she spoke quickly. She took a breath at this point and she turned to him with her hurt and angry expression, making him cower a little, and said, "and then you were snogging her."

"Sorry," he said shakily because her eyes were angrier than before.

"It was just... when I saw that..." she shook her head and when she started again she started at a different place. "You had been acting so distant for a few days before... angry at me. I found out later that Ginny had called you... er... inexperienced and that, well, that I'd snogged Viktor."

"And did you?" he asked his eyebrows rising suspiciously. As soon as the question was out of his mouth he didn't know why he asked it. It was hardly important, but there just seem to be a burning desire to know the answer to that question.

She glared at him for a second, angry that he would ask that now, but a second later she was laughing. He looked at her confused and she said, still giggling, "Sorry. It's just... this just proves my point. Even if you don't remember anything, you're still Ron."

"I was a jealous git, wasn't I?" he smiled at her, honestly pleased to see her laughing again.

"The worst," she laughed. "And you would get grumpy whenever Viktor... Krum or Vicky you would call him, was mentioned."

"Sorry," he said.

"It's okay," she said and then sighed. "Yes, I kissed Vicktor... I don't know if I would call it snogging though, but he was the first boy I kissed."

"Hmph... I can see how that could rile me up," he huffed.

"It could have been you... I wanted it to be," she said a little annoyed, but there was also a wistfulness about her voice that he knew she really meant it.

"Sorry," he said again.

"Anyway," she waved him off. "I have no idea what you were thinking but somehow you thought that a relationship with Lavender would be a good idea... and you made sure that I knew that you had plenty of experience after that... snogging in the common room every bloody minute you could..."

"I'm sorry," he sighed heavily.

"We didn't talk for months... some of the longest months of my life," she said furrowing her eyebrows.

"You didn't speak to me," he said his eyes a little pained. "I hate it when you do that."

"I know," she said. "But I couldn't look at you without... It was like you pulled the rug out from under me, and I couldn't stand, I couldn't have everything with you... Besides, it's not like you made it easy on me, you spent every stupid minute with her... I doubt you even missed me in the beginning..."

"Of course I missed you," he said making her look at him. "Hermione, from everything that you just said, I know I missed you."

"You can't know that," she sighed looking away. "You don't know..."

"Mione," he said, making her look into his eyes as continued, "as you have repetitively told me, I am Ron. I know what he felt then. And all I have to say is this relationship with Lavender was all about you."

"That doesn't really make me feel better, Ronald," she said as her eyes turned angry again.

"My point is," he said disregarding what she just said, "I cared that you didn't talk to me... I know it hurt me... just like it hurts me any time you're so angry at me that you refuse to speak for days. And lastly... I don't think that I slept with Lavender..."

"You don't," she sad biting her bottom lip looking hopeful.

"How could I slept with someone when I was in love with someone else," he smiled at her.

"You were a teenage boy..." she said. "Besides... I'm not sure you knew you loved me then..."

"Mione," he said exasperated. "I knew I loved you."

"Then why the hell did you go out with her at all?" she said suddenly angry again.

"Er..." he said, he wasn't expecting her to be angry. "How should I know?"

"Hmph," she huffed crossing her arms.

"Okay," he sighed and tried to summon his feelings. "The only thing I could think of," he said a few minutes later, "is that I didn't think that you would want me."

She let out a breath, her angry loosening slightly, she knew that this was probably true...

"And that I don't really deserve you," he added.

"Ronald!" she groaned the anger back in her eyes in a flash, though it was for a different reason. "I don't ever want to hear you say that."

"But I'm sure it's true," he smiled at her. "It's what I just felt... you're perfect Hermione."

"And so are you," she said, looking at him firmly. "You know, I've always thought I didn't deserve you."

"What?" he exclaimed looking at her like she had just gone crazy. "How is that possible?"

"I don't think you see yourself very well," she said. "You never realized all that you did... for our group... for your family... I don't think you knew how much we all needed you. And I'm sorry about that."

"You know I have no idea what you're talking about right?" he said looking at her oddly.

"I suppose I'm just going to have to tell you all this later... when you remember," she said.

"Or you could just tell me all the great things I did," he smiled at her. "You could start with how we first met."

"You really want to hear about all that?" she asked, looking at him calculating.

"If I can't remember every moment with you, I'll take you telling me all that you know," he said.

"Well see about that," she smiled at him and told him all about their first meeting.

Ron and Hermione had spent the whole day talking about their early years (though somehow it made him only long for his own memories more... he wanted to remember how it felt), at five o'clock Harry came back with Ari and Teddy. Both boys were bouncing off the walls from all the excitement they had that day, and Hermione scowled at Harry for giving them too much sugar. Harry took Teddy back to his grandmother's house about an hour later, but not before Hermione thanked him for giving her and Ron time to work out their problems.

O

The next morning Hermione got up at her normal time, she never could sleep in on the weekdays, even though she still wasn't going back to work. She was seriously thinking about what she was going to do now. She had spent the last five years working to be a lawyer and she was just a month away from being a fully credited one. However, with her memories back, she didn't know if she wanted to work in the Muggle world anymore. Besides, she still had a lot of ideas about how she thought things should be done in the magical community and she was itching to get to them. She had to help creatures like house elves, she had to do something about the stupid pureblood laws she was sure were still being used, and she really didn't know if she could work somewhere that she wasn't aloud to use magic. She was torn, and she didn't know what to do.

"Hey, Jean," Josh said waving his hand in front of her.

"What?" Hermione jumped and then glared at him. "Josh, what are you doing here?"

"It's Tuesday," Josh said. "I wasn't sure if you wanted me to watch Arthur or not so I just decided to come and check."

"No, I'm not working today," Hermione said. "Wait, what happened between you and Rachel?" she said suddenly excited, it seemed like so long along that she had talked to her friend.

"Well," Josh said beaming. "I'm now the happiest man in the world."

"Now that's quite the declaration," Matt said walking into the room. "But I'm not sure if that true... I'm pretty happy myself."

"Yes, do tell... do either of you remember anything about your past," Josh asked.

"Actually... I remember everything," Hermione smiled at him.

"Really... it's only been a week and you remember everything," Josh said puzzled. "I didn't think that was possible, not unless you did it by magic."

Ron and Hermione exchanged a nervous glance. Hermione laughed shaky, she wasn't sure if she should tell Josh about magic or not. She made up her mind at once, the only way that she would be able to keep him in her life was to tell him about magic, and see how he took it. "Well, actually it was magic that took my memory away," she said.

"What?" Josh said looking confused. "I don't understand."

"Josh... I'm a witch," Hermione said.

"Jean... stop joking around," Josh chuckled.

"I'm not kidding," Hermione said taking out her wand, she tapped her empty coffee cup and turning it into a rat. She then looked up at him and repeated, "I'm a witch."

"Wow!" was all Josh could say and he just looked at her in awe with his month hanging open.

Ari chose that time to get up and when he got into the kitchen he asked, "Why uncle Josh playing statue?"

"He's just in shock, bug," Matt said, "I'm sure he'll be okay soon. Mommy just showed him that she's a witch."

"Oh," Ari said. "It cool, isn't it?" he added looking at Josh, who was still looking shocked.

"I... how is that possible?" Josh finally asked.

"Magic is real," Hermione shrugged. "I hope you could be okay with this."

Josh swallowed hard and then looked at Hermione. She was looking at him nervously, though she was trying to hide it and he knew that he would have to be. He wasn't going to let something like this come between them. "Of course I'm okay with this... how could I not be?"

"Good," Hermione smiled at him and then started to explain more about the magical world, it didn't really look like he was taking in that much, so this conversation didn't last long. She did have something else that she wanted to say though. "Oh, but I think you've got to come to meet my parents."

"I would love to do that," Josh smiled. "Are they wizards too?"

"No, I'm a Muggleborn," Hermione said. "Which means my parents are normal people. But apparently, my mum simply loves your books... and thinks you're rather good looking."

"Ah... a fan... I can't wait to get there," Josh chuckled.

"Thanks," Hermione said and he looked at her confused. "For not overreacting to this."

"I wouldn't dream of doing that," Josh smiled back at her.

Before Hermione could say anything to that there was a small pop and Ginny was standing in the room.

"It's a good think you told me about magic or that might have made me pass out," Josh said.

"Darn," Hermione said snapping her finger. "I knew I should have waited."

"Er... sorry... I didn't think that you would have a Muggle here this early," Ginny blushed. "You told him about magic?"

"He's my friend," Hermione shrugged. "He's not going to tell anyone."

"Except Rachel, but we won't tell anyone after that," Josh said.

"Right," Ginny said. "Hermione we need to go."

"What are you... Ginny want are you doing?" Hermione exclaimed because Ginny was now grabbing her arm and trying to drag her closer.

"There so much to do... I really need your help, thank Merlin it's you that got your memory back... or I doubt we could have pulled this off," Ginny rumbled.

"Gin... slow down and tell me what you're talking about," Hermione said.

"Harry and I are getting married," Ginny said.

"I know," Hermione smiled at that, she really was happy from her friends. "But that's like months away," she added rolling her eyes. "I don't see why you're so frantic now."

"No, we're getting married this Saturday," Ginny said. "And there's..."

"What?" Hermione asked.

"Look Hermione, I've wanted to be married to Harry since I was five," Ginny said. "Okay, so I didn't really know what I was talking about at that age, but I still wanted it. We've put this off for far too long, and I understand why. It really didn't feel right that we would get married without you guys. It felt really awful actually, but that doesn't matter anymore. You guys are back and I refuse to not be married to him any longer."

"Okay," Hermione smiled. "Have you told your mother yet?"

"Yeah, I just came form there..." Ginny said.

"That explains your panicked state," Hermione chuckled.

"Mione, we have so much to do... we don't have time to stall like this," Ginny groaned.

"Okay," Hermione smiled. "Sorry Josh, I've got to go... see you later."

"Okay bye," Josh said and a second later the two girls were gone and he was staring at the space they were just in with his mouth open again.

O

The next week really was crazy, what with trying to get everything ready for Harry and Ginny's wedding, Ginny confessing that part of the reason why she was so keen on rushing this was because she didn't want to have the million guests there. This way, only their closest friends would be invited and it would feel a lot quainter. This was something that Molly didn't seem to agree with, but didn't really have time to argue about because she had to spend every minute she had to get things ready in time.

The one time that Hermione was able to talk to Harry, was when he had pried her away from Ginny's clutches by saying that he had to ask her a few questions about her memory loss. She told him everything she remembered about the day she was taken, which unfortunately didn't really help much. She remembered Nott and Greyback being there, along with someone else, but she didn't know who the last person was. "His voice sounded familiar," Hermione said, furrowing her eyebrows. "But he didn't really say much..."

"Do you know anything about what Ron's password might be?" Harry asked.

"Do you honestly think that I wouldn't have said something by now if I did?" Hermione narrowed her eyes.

"Sorry," Harry sighed. "I just..."

"I know," Hermione sighed, too. "I didn't mean to snap at you."

"So it was three people that took you?" Harry said looking thoughtful.

"It could have been more, but I only saw two and heard three," Hermione said.

"Okay, so do you know how they did the spell on you?" Harry asked.

"Well at first they tried to think of something that no one would say to me," Hermione said. "They couldn't really think of anything. So they thought insulting me would probably be best because it was more likely that I would be near you if I was found and you were unlikely to say something like that to me."

"Didn't they realize that we would figure out about the password thing?" Harry said.

"I don't know about that," Hermione frowned. "I doubt Nott would have thought his son would help us though."

"That's true," Harry nodded. "And he really has helped us."

"However, Nott didn't think it was prudent to have it just be insult, because if I did ran across a Death Eater, or someone like them they might say the one thing that unlocked my memories," Hermione said. "That's why he added the smart comment. Bill was right Harry, no Death Eater would have ever said that to me."

"I guess I wouldn't make a good Death Eater then," Harry smiled.

"After they decided what to say, they cast the spell on me," Hermione said. "The next words out of their mouth was 'you're a stupid Mudblood and it doesn't matter if you're smart you're never going to amount to anything in this world.'"

"I still can't believe that I guessed that right," Harry said.

"Actually, it didn't have to be exactly right," Hermione said. "I'm mean, you didn't have to say word for word what they did. You just had to have most of it right."

"Well that's nice to know," Harry rolled his eyes.

"After that I passed out and the next thing I knew I was being thrown into traffic," Hermione frowned. "I'm sorry I don't know more."

"It's okay," Harry smiled at her.

"So, are you excited about the wedding?" Hermione asked.

"I don't think excited covers it," Harry simply beamed. "I really just can't wait any longer."

"I'm so happy for you Harry," Hermione beamed at him. "Even more so because I'll get to see it..."

"Something that you didn't let me do for you," Harry interrupted her. "I really wish I could have seen you two tie the knot."

"Sorry," Hermione sighed. "But you can blame that one on Arthur."

"Right because he's the one that made you two f..."

"Harry!" Hermione reprimanded, blushing.

"Sorry," Harry laughed, not sorry at all.

"Are you sad that you can't get married at Godric's Hollow," Hermione asked. Harry and Ginny had reserved the chapel there for their wedding for October, but with the change in times, they were no longer able to have it there. Of course, Harry could use his status, but he never would do that.

"A little," Harry admitted. "But I like the idea of getting married at the Burrow. It was the first, besides Hogwarts that is, place that's felt like home to me."

"I know what you mean... well, sort of," Hermione said. "I've always loved my home, but there's just something about the Burrow that makes you feel at ease there." They were only able to talk for ten more minutes before Ginny Apparated into the room, asking if they were done yet.

The wedding was small indeed, or at least it was small compared to how big it could have been. The guests that were invited were all the Weasleys of course, plus Hagrid (who bawled throughout the ceremony), Andromeda and Teddy, Neville and Hannah, Luna, Lee Jordan, Angelina Johnson (who was George's date), McGonagall, Kingsley and the Grangers (who really had come to think of Harry as a son during the four years that their daughter was missing).

Hermione was of course Ginny's maid of honor and Ron was Harry's best man. Ron thought he would feel awkward being up there with Harry, not having any idea about their friendship, but it wasn't. It just felt natural to be next to Harry. To calm his nerves when he need to. He even gave Harry the, I'll kick your arse speech if he ever hurt Ginny, convincingly.

The ceremony was simple, Hermione was crying the moment she saw Ginny walk down the aisle with her father, looking more beautiful than she's ever seen her. The tears didn't stop until well after Harry and Ginny said I do. The look Harry had when he said that was so incredibly intense and loving that it filled her heart with so much joy. Harry, finally, truly, had family now.


	26. Ron's Memories

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters. **

**A/N: Thanks to my beta xxlov3m3x4m3xx**

**Update 11/29/2010**

Chapter Twenty-Six

Ron's Memories

Things went well for the next week. Hermione had decided to continue to work in the Muggle world until she officially became a lawyer; she couldn't stand not finishing. Speaking of not finishing, she had also been allowed to take her N.E.W.T.s and though she wished that she could have gone back to school for her last year, she knew that really wasn't possible (or logical). She had mentioned her longing to McGonagall at Harry and Ginny's wedding and the older witch immediately told her that she would make it so she could take her test that year when the seventh years were going to be tested. Hermione was thankful for this indeed, but it did make her go a little crazy trying to do everything.

"Mione, I don't know why you have to push yourself so hard like this," Matt had said one afternoon when she was reading over her work as Harry and Ginny were visiting them, the first time since their Honeymoon. "And how you could handle both your job and this studying... it's beyond me," he tried to make it sound like a joke but it was obvious he was worried about her.

"Don't worry mate, she was a lot worse during school and she got through that," Harry laughed.

"Hey," Hermione made a face at him and then started to laugh. "I suppose that is true though. You took up a lot more time than work did."

"Sorry," Harry chuckled. "So is it any easier this time around? I mean you just remembered everything you've learned right... so did that help."

"Yeah I think it did," Hermione said. "It's almost like I just learned all six years a few weeks ago. But I think it's really Jean that's helping me most right now."

"Er... you lost me," Harry said and everyone else looked just as confused as he did.

"Well, I've learned a lot the last five years," Hermione said. "What with raising Ari and going to school at the same time, and then working part time too... I learned how to manage my time better."

"You mean no more learning useless details that won't really help you," Harry smirked.

"Oh shut up Harry," Hermione made a face at him.

"Hermione could you possibly put that book down for a moment, we have something to tell you," Ginny said.

"Okay," Hermione said, noticing the excitement in her friend's voice. She then looked at the two of them closely for the first time since they got there and they were both glowing with happiness. "I'm listening."

"Well," Harry said, rubbing the back of his head, looking uncomfortable all of a sudden. "Er... we're not planning on telling the rest of the family this... not for a little while at least... but you see, you're my best mates... it feels right telling you first and all..."

"Harry," Hermione interrupted. "You're rambling."

"Right," Harry said and swallowed, he looked at Ginny who was fidgeting, looking like she was about to burst but was trying hard not to say anything. They had decided that he would be the one to say it, but as he looked at his wife (smiling brightly as he thought that word) he knew she should be the one to say it. "Go on Gin, you tell him."

"Really!" Ginny smiled and before he could even answer her, she blurted out, smiling widely, "I'm pregnant!"

"OH MY GOD!" Hermione squealed and hugged both of her friends tightly.

"You're... what?" Matt said flabbergasted.

"Er... you're okay with this right," Harry said nervously.

"Blimey," Matt said starting to smile. "Yeah mate, I'm good with this."

"Good," Harry said letting out a sigh of relief.

"So tell me everything," Hermione was now chattering with Ginny, "when did you find out? How far along are you..."

"How about we make lunch," Ginny said looking significantly at the kitchen and Hermione took the hint (she didn't want to talk about this in front of Ron).

"Okay," Hermione said as they entered the kitchen, "let me guess, you didn't rush to get married because you couldn't wait to be together any longer."

"No, we really did," Ginny said. "I had no idea I was pregnant."

"But you were," Hermione raised her eyebrow.

"Yes, I'm pretty sure I was," Ginny said. "I don't think it would be good if my brothers know about that though..."

"Ah they wouldn't do anything to Harry... not much at least," Hermione giggled.

"This is all your fault you know," Ginny grimaced.

"How?" Hermione chuckled.

"Well, the baby was conceived the day that we found you," Ginny said. "We were a little too excited to think about contraception."

"You know for all the flack that you've been giving Matt about his contraception charm, I really should tell all your brothers about this," Hermione smiled evilly.

"You wouldn't," Ginny said paling slightly.

"Gin, is that fear I see in your eyes," Hermione smirked. "Would I really do that?"

"I don't know," Ginny said. "You might get possessed by your evil twin Jean and..."

"How little you understood Jean," Hermione shook her head, "she never would have told anyone this, tease you mercilessly yes, but never tell."

"Oh, good," Ginny sighed and then narrowed her eyes. "You going to tease me mercilessly now, aren't you?"

"Yep," Hermione laughed.

"Great," Ginny groaned. "Why did I even tell you this in the first place?"

"I don't know," Hermione said. "But I think Harry might have something to do with it."

"He really did," Ginny started beaming. "You should have seen his face when I first told him I was pregnant... I don't think I've ever seen him that happy before."

"Yes, well, I would imagine that he wants this more than anything else in his life," Hermione smiled, her eyes starting to water.

"I also needed someone to talk to about this," Ginny said, "and you were the first one that I thought of."

"You're just trying to get on my good side so I won't tease you, aren't you?" Hermione smiled.

"You know it," Ginny laughed. "Is it working?"

"Well, does this mean that I would be godmother?" Hermione said thoughtfully.

"Argh... as if you even need to ask," Ginny rolled her eyes. "I couldn't of think anyone I would rather ask."

"Then I'll think about it," Hermione beamed.

The two women continued to talk about this and when they got back to the living room with lunch Matt as saying, "... things are I don't think it would be a good idea."

"I'm sure you would do fine," Harry said dejectedly, he already knew that he wasn't going to change Ron's mind.

"Look I'm honored you would ask me this," Matt said. "I really am. But, with the way I am now... I can't even do magic Harry... not in the way you would need me to. Besides, I like what I'm doing now..."

"Say no more Ron," Harry sighed. "I do understand. It's just now with Neville... I really could have used you."

"What happened to Neville?" Hermione asked worried.

"Nothing bad Mione," Harry smiled at her. "Actually it's really good for him. McGonagall just offered him a job the other day. He's going to be the Herbology Professor starting in September."

"That's wonderful," Hermione beamed. "He was always amazing in that subject..."

"Better than you even," Ginny chuckled.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at her but went on, "I'm sure he'll do brilliantly there."

"Yeah I know," Harry said. "I'm just going to miss working with him."

Hermione then looked between Ron and Harry, suddenly understanding what their conversation had been about. Her eyes narrowed towards Harry, it really wouldn't have been a good idea for Ron, the way he was, to become an Auror, and Harry should have known better than to even ask him. The rest of that day passed peacefully though.

O

The next two months passed in a daze. Ron would go to Bill once a week to try and get his memory back but nothing even seem to happen. It was an all or nothing kind of charm and there wasn't anyone could do about that. He felt a little sad about this; that he couldn't remember things, but he took comfort in the fact that he was still able to feel the connection he had with his loved ones. He felt comfortable being with his family and that was very important to him right now.

Hermione had taken her N.E.W.T's and got her last credentials for being a lawyer. As soon as the Wizarding world had realized that she and Ron were back, they had a field day, of course, but she never thought it really would have affected her life that much. However, the day that she had gotten her N.E.W.T.'s scores back, seven Outstandings thank you very much, she had gotten no less than three owls from people offering her a job, and they were by no means the only ones that she got. She quickly went through them, sorting them into different piles. The first pile was ones that she could tell just were asking her because they would use her as some kind of symbol; she threw those away with contempt. The second pile was for jobs that seemed interesting, but weren't ones that she would really consider doing. The last pile only had two offers in it, both of which were very tempting for her.

"You haven't decided yet have you," Matt was wrapping his arms around her as he sat down.

"I really haven't," Hermione sighed. "What do you think I should do Ron?"

"It's not my decision to make," Matt said softly. "I really don't know the difference between these two..."

"I'm considering three jobs actually," Hermione said turning to him. "I don't know if I could just stop being a lawyer..."

"That doesn't have anything to do with me, does it?" Matt asked raising his eyebrow. He knew that he really did want his wife to be a lawyer; that was something that he could understand. That was something that belonged to the world that he still felt like he belonged to. However, he didn't want this to influence her decision.

"I..." Hermione looked at him, trying to read his face. Was that what she was doing? She couldn't explain why she didn't want give up that job, but she had a feeling that it had more to do with telling her boss and James Summer (Josh's dad). She had a feeling that they would be disappointed in her and she didn't like thinking about that.

"Or anyone else," Matt tacked on, seeming to read her mind.

"I don't like to think that I wasted five years," Hermione said, looking away from him, it was another one of her reasons.

"Well, from everything that you and Harry have said about the job at Magical Law Enforcement, you could use what you've learned the last few years," Matt said, it was one of the jobs she was seriously thinking about.

"It probably would, though I doubt anyone would acknowledge that," Hermione muttered. "I'd be starting at the beginning... lower than what I am now."

"Most people do start at the beginning, Mione," Matt said, sounding amused at her.

"I know," Hermione sighed. "It's just that at Summer's Law, they gave me so much responsibility right away..."

"It wasn't right away," Matt said. "You had to start as a clerk..."

"I know," Hermione rolled her eyes, "but they pushed me through so quickly..."

"Because you're brilliant love, and they were able to see how much you could help them," Matt smiled. "I'm sure that will be the case here, too."

"Maybe," Hermione looked at the two job offers, weighing them against each other and against the job she currently had. She looked at the first one she got; they were from the Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. She could see all the work that she had wanted to do there flash before her eyes, hopes that she could help make things better for house elves and other creatures. It was hard to put that letter down, she still wanted to do that so much, but she knew it wasn't really the right choice for her at the moment. That didn't mean that I won't find a way to help them, she told herself firmly.

"I guess I know what I'm going to do now," Hermione sighed.

The next day (Friday) she told her boss that she had gotten another job offer and just like she had thought he looked disappointed. He sighed when she told him, but told her that she would always be welcomed there if she ever needed a job. She thanked him and left, feeling a little sad, but still excited about what she was going to be doing starting in a few days.

O

That Sunday, Ron, Hermione and Ari flooed (Arthur had their flat connected to the network) to the Burrows for the dinner that was always held there. This was the dinner that Harry and Ginny had finally decided to tell everyone that they were pregnant and it was a lot louder in the house than it normally was (and that's saying a lot). Molly had gone crazy when she found out, crushing both Ginny and Harry in a hug and going on about how she couldn't wait to see the baby. Ginny's brothers were all really happy, but they keep giving Harry threatening looks, which made the messy haired man uncomfortable and rather skittish.

It seem that no one could talk about anything but this until it was time to eat, which was a little odd; usually there were ten different conversations going on at on time. However, everyone seemed to break off after the meal. All the girls were talking to Ginny, most of them giving her pointers seeing as they had gone through this at least once before and she seemed happy and overwhelmed with the talk. Ron was talking with George and Harry about the latest of George's inventions and he really was starting to get why Hermione never allowed Ari to go to the shop; his brother was bloody insane.

"Ron, did you bloody hear?" Charlie asked, making his way to his youngest brother beaming. "The Canons won their first seven games!"

"Charlie, shut up!" Harry hissed looking over to Ginny, but luckily she didn't hear a thing.

"What's the matter Potter?" Charlie smirked at him. "Gin Gin, upset that the Harpies lost to the Canons yesterday?"

"Seriously Charlie, shut up!" Harry glanced at Ginny again. "She's been raging about that all day."

"Maybe you shouldn't have knocked her up then," George chuckled. "It doesn't help the Harpies chances having their star Chaser incapacitated."

"Trust me George, that one came up more than once and I have the bruises to prove it," Harry grumbled, which just seemed to make Charlie laugh harder.

"That's too bad, mate," Charlie patted him on the back and then turned back to Ron, the only other person he knew that was a fan of the Canons. "Can you believe it though, 7-0, that's the best start they've either had. They might even make it to playoffs this year..."

"Er... what are you talking about? Who are the Canons?" Matt asked looking confused.

Harry, Charlie and George just dropped their months and stared at him for a few seconds before their expression turned sad.

"Sorry," Matt said shifting uncomfortably. "I..."

"Its okay, Ron," Harry said recovering first. "It's just the Canons were your Quidditch team... you were their biggest fan..."

"And one of their only," George tried to laugh, but it really was moments like this that made him realize that he didn't really have his brother back. "You and this git here," he added pointing at Charlie who was still looking disheartened by the news that Ron had no idea who the Canons where.

"Oh, you're talking about that orange team that I've got like a million posters of," Matt said, yeah he probably should have guessed that he might be a fan of theirs. "Why would me and Charlie be their only fans..."

"Because they suck," George said.

"They don't suck!" Charlie snapped at George and then looked at Ron. "They've just had rough seasons in the past, but you'll see, they'll pull through... And this season they're going to make it all the way..."

"Or at least not finish dead last," George smirked.

"Shut up," Charlie hissed and then groaned, "what's the bloody point of the Canons winning the championship if Ron doesn't care about them?"

"I don't know mate," George smiled. "It is rough that one of their five fans are abandoning them."

"Ron?" Harry said noticing that Ron was holding his head. "Are you okay?"

Ron as pinching the bridge of his nose, his eyes tightly closed and was trying to prevent himself from falling. It wasn't easy; his head was splitting as sharp pains shot through him. And then the pain seemed to double but something else was happening too. Something that was so welcoming that the pain seemed to be dulled by it. Images kept shooting through his head...

"Ron," Charlie said concerned, "Ron, are you okay?"

"Just give him a second," Harry said, his heart starting to beat fast in his chest. Hope seemed to be filling him as his eyes stayed focus on his best friend.

"Wow," Ron said several minutes later, standing up straight and rubbing his nose as he looked around.

"Ron?" Harry questioned, looking at him cautiously.

"Yeah," Ron said giving him a grin that immediately told Harry everything he needed to know.

"Yes!" Harry said and he hugged his friend with excessive joy.

"Merlin Harry, you would think you haven't seen me in ages," Ron chuckled and Harry just released him and rolled his eyes.

"What are you two talking about?" George asked, looking between them not believe his ear what he had just heard. Could it possibly be?

"Are the Canons really 7-0?" Ron beamed towards Charlie.

"Ron!" Charlie gasped; there was no mistaking Ron's expression right now. He was ecstatic about the Canons, a look that Charlie has only seen a few times, but none the less one he recognized. Charlie wrapped his arms around his youngest brother, "It's really you!"

"Yeah, yeah, it's me," Ron said sounding annoyed but every one that could hear him knew he didn't mean it. "But about the Canons..."

"Yeah, they're undefeated," Charlie chuckled as he pulled away beaming. "They trounced the Harpies 40-320."

"Awesome!" Ron cheer. "Bloody hell, why did I have to miss that?"

"I can't believe it," George said shaking his head and then grabbed Ron around his neck.

"I've told you for ages George, the Canons can do..." Ron started, struggling against his brother's hold.

"Not the Canons you git," George laughed. "The fact that you would get your memories back because of this."

"Well you must admit, it is an ingenious curse, who would have every guessed that the Canons could actually win this many games," Harry sad laughing along with George as Ron and Charlie glared at him. However, that only lasted a second before all the boys were laughing.

"What's so funny?" Molly said walking over to them, it was only then that Harry noticed that the girls had broken apart and that his wife and Hermione were nowhere to be seen.

"The Canons winning," George said in serious voice, but he let go of Ron.

"Mum," Ron said and she looked at him for a few second before gasping.

"Ronnie!" Molly said tears coming to her eyes before she went over to him and hugged him. "You're back, you're really back," she mumbled as he wrapped his arms around her, chuckling softly.

"Yeah," Ron said and soon enough, it seemed that everyone in the house knew that Ron had his memories back and laughing at how he got them.

"Daddy," Ari ran into the room, "look what I..." he stopped short there and cocked his head to the said. "What wrong?"

Ron chuckled, his son really was observant to notice the difference so quickly; all Hermione's doing. A chill went through him with the thought of Hermione, and all he really wanted to do was see her, be alone with her right now. However, he had something to do first.

"Nothing's wrong," Ron said leaning down and swopping Ari up. Ron had learned from Hermione's experience, he wasn't going to let his son be afraid of whatever change he went through. "I just remember who I am now."

"Oh," Ari said furrowing his eyebrows, trying to understand what that meant but it was difficult. "Like Mommy before."

"Yes, just like Mommy," Ron smiled. "I might be a little different now, but I will always love you," and then hugged his son tightly.

"Love you, Daddy," Ari said quietly, hugging his dad back.

"Ah... isn't that a touching scene," Ginny said, walking in with Hermione next to her.

Ron looked up, not at his sister, but at the beautiful vision next to her. His breath caught, he had seen her for nearly everyday in the last twelve years, but with his mind still being all mixed up, it was hard to think of her during one time period. But seeing her, standing there, her hair still as fascinating as it was when he was younger and he couldn't stop thinking about it, and her eyes looking at him curiously... trying to figure him out. That look too filled his mind when he was younger. He stood up and walked silently towards her not knowing what to say. However, after one step he realized that he didn't have to say anything to her. She knew. She knew exactly what was happening, what he was thinking. Tears were now in her eyes, but her lips were curved upwards in a smile and he could swear he could hear her heart beat from where he stood, then again it could have been his own heart beat that he was hearing.

No words could have explain what they were feeling; words were useless at the moment. When he reached her, he cupped her checks and leaned down and kissed her hard. And the world disappeared, everything but her disappeared and he loved it. His heart soared like it never could have before. He now had everything that he ever dreamed of; his world was finally the way it was always supposed to be.


	27. Together at Last

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters. **

**A/N: Thanks to my beta xxlov3m3x4m3xx**

**Update 11/29/2010**

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Together at Last

It seem that no one would leave Ron, even though they all knew that he just wanted to be alone with his wife. Ginny was the worst of all of them, telling him that there was no way that she was going to leave him alone seeing as he had just trumped her news, he was just going to have to deal with it. He didn't really seem to mind, well yeah he did, but seeing as Hermione was in his arms he was able to tolerate it.

However, he did excuse himself from his sister and everyone else after a few hours to pull Harry aside.

"I need to tell you something," Ron said, he couldn't put this off.

"What, that I'm..." Harry started with a smile but he soon noticed Ron's expression and became serious. "What is it, Ron?"

"It's about the day we were taken," Ron said. "I know who the third guy was, and I think he's still out there. And judging that he knows we're back, he might already have tried to skip town."

"Who is it?" Harry said, his eyes were hard.

"Blaise Zabini," Ron said.

"Really?" Harry said, he never liked the Slytherin, but he didn't think that he would have had the guts to do something like this.

"Yeah," Ron said, his face dark. "You should have fucking hear what he said about Hermione... I wanted to tear that git to pieces..."

"We'll get him Ron," Harry said firmly, his eyes furious. "He was the one that made the password have something to do with the Cannons right?"

"He must have been, it's not like I kept my favorite Quidditch team secret, but I can't see either Nott or Greyback knowing that," Ron said.

"I really should get going on this," Harry muttered. "He has a two mouth head start... stupid bastard has a clear record so he could have gone without us knowing..."

"Harry, let me know when you're close," Ron said, looking intense.

"Only if you tell me you're going to become an Auror," Harry smirked. Ron didn't say anything to that just keep staring at him intensely. "Fine, I'll tell you no matter what... of course I will."

"Good," Ron chuckled. "And I think I probably will want to become an Auror, I just don't think I'm ready yet."

"Why not... I mean you remember everything now right?" Harry said.

"Yeah," Ron smiled. "But it's all mixed up... I feel like I'm eighteen and twenty-three at the same time... I'm also kind of every age... It's hard to explain. All I know is it's going to take some time before I get used to this."

"Mione seems to be able to handle everything easy enough," Harry smiled.

"That's Mione isn't it, do you really think that she would let anything slowing her down?" Ron smiled, too.

"So is it weird, waking up and knowing that you're married to her?" Harry asked.

"Weird really isn't the word I would use," Ron beamed. "It's bloody brilliant. You have no idea... I just want to grab her and..."

"Please don't say any more," Harry said making a face. "I really don't want to hear about that mate."

"Sorry mate," Ron chuckled.

"That fine, but I really think I should go now," Harry said.

"Can't you take your wife with you," Ron asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Sorry mate, but she's not going to let you get off that easy," Harry laughed.

O

It seemed that Ron had no problems with his '_first time_' being against a wall. But who could blame him when he had to wait four hours to be alone with the only person he really wanted to see at the moment. It was lucky that Ginny offered to take Ari (though after all the trouble she put him through he thought it was the least she could do), because he already didn't have enough patience to keep his hands off his wife and he would have been dead if they had to put Ari to bed too. As soon as they Apparated into the flat, Ron was on her. He could not control the need he had for her and he didn't even attempt to try. She was no better though, she reacted with just as much fever and they only made it as far as the bedroom door before he turned her against the wall and gave into all the passion they were feeling.

"Oh God," Hermione said breathing heavily, completely spent, Ron's head was leaning on her shoulder, and she didn't know how he had the strength to still hold her up after what he just did. She could feel him shaking slightly but still she didn't move. He was still in her, filling her so completely, as images of the intent look in his eyes burned into her. They were so different than the eyes that she was used to seeing somehow, so much more intense. Seven years of pent up feelings bursting in the moment they had just shared.

It was minutes later before either of them moved, but when they did, they moved as one. Seeming to know it was time without saying a word. They crawled into bed, and she immediately went into his arms as he stroked her hair. They didn't talk for a long time, they just enjoyed the silence.

"You were the only person I've ever been with," Ron said breaking the silence. "I never slept with Lavender... I really did know myself... even when I don't know myself."

"So, why did you go out with her?" Hermione asked.

"I didn't really know at first," Ron said. "I was so worked up after what Ginny said, and I had convinced myself that you would never what to be with me... that you would wanted to be with him... Krum."

"Ron," Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Why do you always have to defend him Mione?" Ron asked. "If you didn't... I wouldn't get so worked up."

"Why do you have to attack him, Ronald... there really was no reason," Hermione said.

"He got you first," Ron sighed. "I know it's my fault, Mione, I know... but that doesn't change how that makes me feel."

"Fine," Hermione sighed. "Go on."

"Right," Ron sighed. "And then it just made things worse when I felt like you didn't think I would be able to stop all those goals without the potion..."

"I never said that!" Hermione hissed.

"I know," Ron said. "But it's what I thought, love."

"Your so stupid!" Hermione huffed.

"Don't I know it," Ron chuckled. "And then Lavender was there... and I knew she liked me, and I knew she thought I was good enough... and I knew that I was something to her... and I liked that."

"Ron," Hermione sighed leaning on his chest.

"I'm sorry I couldn't see that you cared too," Ron said. "I really thought that you had asked me as just a friend... I mean at first I thought maybe... but with everything else, I don't know..."

"Ron," Hermione said sitting up this time looking into his eyes and kissing her softly. "It's okay... we both made mistakes when we were younger... The important thing now is that we're together."

"Right," Ron smiled. "You don't know how odd it is to remember everything... and in a sense wake up into the life that you've always dreamed of."

"Actually... I do know that," Hermione smiled.

"I was hoping you would say something like that," Ron smiled, flipping her over.

"Oh... did you think I could have said anything else?" Hermione said moving her hands to Ron's hair.

"No, not really," Ron said leaning down to kiss her hard.

O

"So, we never did talk about having more kids," Ron said an hour later after they had made love again.

Hermione leaned up to look at him, furrowing her eyebrows.

Ron chuckled at her expression. "I asked the morning before Ginny found you, remember?"

"Of course I remember," Hermione said. "I was just wondering why you waited so long to bring his up again."

"I figured our lives were really chaotic for the last few months... I didn't want to add this to it," Ron shrugged. "But when I was talking to Ari early, when I was thinking about you... I really wanted more kids... A little girl would be nice."

"Our lives are still complicated, Ron," Hermione said.

"Our lives are always complicated, Mione," Ron chuckled. "You'll have to do better than that."

"I think we should wait a little while," Hermione said.

Ron's face fell at that, and he looked away from her. "Why?" he asked unable to keep the hurt out of his voice.

"You're impossible Ronald Weasley," Hermione chuckled. "Thinking that I would ever not want more children with you."

Ron grumbled at that, "then why do you want to wait?"

"Because I want to marry you first," Hermione said simply and Ron head snapped to her looking confused. "I do love that look," she added smiling sweetly.

"What are you talking about Mione, we are married?" Ron asked.

"Matt and Jean are married," Hermione said. "And it was a lovely wedding for them. In fact, in some ways it was the perfect wedding. Simple but elegant. But there was so much missing from it too..."

"Missing?" Ron questioned.

"Yeah missing," Hermione rolled his eyes at him. "For one Harry... I never thought I would have been married without him..."

"Yeah that is weird... he was supposed to be my best man," Ron chuckled.

"Exactly," Hermione nodded her head. "And... well, I always imagined my dad giving me away... And then there's your mother..."

"Argh... I though you were trying to convince me we need to get married again," Ron groaned. "Mum is going to be a nightmare."

"I know," Hermione laughed. "But I think she deserves to see you get married. You're not going to make me ask you a hundred times, are you?"

"Hmph, I did have to ask you that many times," Ron said, "you know what they say about payback."

"That you should just forget about it and listen to your beautiful wife," Hermione said.

"I don't think that's quite what they say," Ron laughed. "Okay Mione, I'd love to marry you... you just better not make me wait very long."

"Oh I won't," Hermione smiled. "Unless October 31 is too long."

"You already have a date set?" Ron said amazed and then looked at her suspiciously. "How could you have done that?"

"Ginny just told me that she still had the reservation for her and Harry's wedding... I was thinking that we could use them," Hermione smiled.

"So you want to have someone else's wedding," Ron sighed.

"I like the day," Hermione said. "It would be twelve years to that day that we first became friends."

"That does sound nice," Ron smiled and kissed her. "And then after that you'll have my baby."

"You have a one track mind tonight," Hermione smiled. "Yes, after that I'd love to have your baby."

"I think we need to practice then," Ron said starting to kiss her neck.

"If Ari is any indication, then I think we already got this down," Hermione said as her hand went automatically to his hair.

"But that was more than four years ago... I could always do with more practicing," Ron chuckled kiss her.

"Well, I can't argue with your logic there," Hermione smiled.

Ron then sat up and looked straight into her eyes, and they both smiled. They were both complete and in each other arms, like they had struggled to do for twelve years. "I love you so much, Hermione, I always have."

"I love you, Ronald," Hermione smiled at him. "You're everything I've ever dreamed of and more."

**A/N: Okay so this is where I'm planning on ending this story. I do have one more chapter, an epilouge, but this basically the end story that I have thought of.**


	28. Fourteen Years Later

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters. **

**A/N: Thanks to my beta xxlov3m3x4m3xx**

**Update 11/29/2010**

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Fourteen Years Later

"Ari! Get up!" Hermione yelled to her eldest child, he was a heavy sleeper just like his dad.

"Five more minutes, Mum," Ari groaned.

"No, now, we're already running late! Do you want to miss the train?" Hermione said.

"Oh... right," Ari said sitting up, how could he forget that today was the first day of his final year at Hogwarts. He quickly got dressed, making sure that the Muggle clothes he picked out looked good and placed the Head Boy badge in his pocket.

When he got downstairs, he found that he was the last one there. His sister was sitting at the table, already finished with her breakfast, looking like she was dying to get going already.

"What's the matter, Rose?" Ari asked. It only seemed logical for Ron and Hermione to name their daughter Rose, after the Shakespeare quote sticking in their heads after everything they went through.

"You know what's the matter Arthur," Rose snapped, and he had trouble not smiling at that. "You were just as anxious as I am to go to Hogwarts."

"I suppose," Ari allowed sitting next to her. "You know its Hugo that we should be sorry about though. He's going to have to be here all alone..."

"Shut up," Hugo moaned sticking his tongue out at his brother and sister, seeing Rose laughing. Arthur wasn't sure how his parent came up with the name Hugo, but he had a feeling it had something to do with one of his mum's favorite authors (after his Uncle Josh of course, she would always add whenever the man in question was in the house) Victor Hugo.

"Sorry man," Ari laughed and got himself cereal. "But at least you still have Lily right."

"I suppose," Hugo said glumly. "I just really wish I could go this year too."

"Or next year even," Rose teased.

Hugo made a face again and slumped back into his chair.

"Don't tease you're brother Rosie, he's going to have a hard enough time being here alone without you adding to it," Ron said from his seat as he read the newspaper, the corner of his lips twitching. Arthur and Rose both chuckled as Hugo groaned.

"Matthew," Hermione groaned hitting him on the head with a spoon, "take your own advice."

Arthur laughed harder at that, he really loved seeing his parents act like this, but he also noticed that Rose was frowning now. He was about to ask her what was bothering her when, once again, he was reminded that they were in a hurry.

The car ride there was uneventful and soon enough they were all running through the wall to get onto platform nine and three quarters. As soon as he was on the platform, Ari head to the train letting his family pull away from him.

"Arthur, do you really think you could get way from me without getting a hug?" Hermione said before he could even take a step.

"I suppose not," Ari smiled at her, he did want to say goodbye to her properly but he was also anxious to see his friends again... his best friend in particular.

"You know I'm so proud of you Ari," Hermione smiled as she hugged him tightly. "And I'm not just talking about becoming Head Boy and being the top of your class..."

"I bet that helps though," Ari smirked.

"A little," Hermione chuckled, he was so much like his father sometimes. "But I'm proud of the man you have become Arthur. I just want you to know that."

"Thanks, Mum," Ari shifted uncomfortably.

"And just remembered," Hermione added with a smirked. "You don't have to be as dense as your father when it comes to the girl you like."

"Mum!" Ari said exasperated, blushing as he thought of his best friend again; he was really anxious see her.

"Sorry, love, I couldn't resist," Hermione laughed, "Have a good year Arthur."

"I will," Ari smiled and with that he left, heading for the Head compartment. He was not surprised to find his best friend sitting there, reading a book, he just knew that she would be made Head Girl. "Cathryn!"

"Arthur," Cathryn said putting down her book and getting up to hug him. "Merlin you're looking good, Ari."

"Your not so bad yourself, Ryn," Ari said looking her over and really liking what he saw.

"Okay, I told myself I was going to do this right away before I chicken out," Cathryn said, looking like she was half talking to herself and half to Ari. He looked at her curiously, but decided to let her do whatever it was she was planning on doing. "I'm going to do something that I hope you like, but if you don't like it, it's okay... I'm not going to let this rude..." she shook her head at this point and took a different route, "I just think it's about time you know this..."

"Ryn, what are you ta..." Ari started but before he could even finish she was kissing him. It took him a whole second to realize what was happening before he smiled and kissed her back.

"What you doing?" Ari heard and he immediately jumped, it was the voice of his cousin James and he could have sworn he was right outside the door talking to him. However, when he looked he couldn't see anyone at all, but upon looking out the window he could see that Teddy was sending off his girlfriend, and Ari's other best friend and closest cousin, Victoire, with a nice snog.

Ari chuckled at that, "It looks like Teddy and Tori's secret relationship was just blown. Everyone will know in five minutes with James on the job."

"Too bad for them," Cathryn said and voice was hard to read and Ari didn't like that, he was used to knowing everything about her. She was looking away from him and her cheeks were red, and he had the feeling that she was embarrassed.

"Ryn," Ari said, and she looked at him nervously. This time he could read her feelings, she was worried that he didn't like the kiss. He held back his chuckle at that absurd thought before he brushed the stray hair out of her face and leaned into her.

O

It wasn't until they were halfway to Hogwarts that he was able to make his way to his sister to see how she was doing. He first had to snog his best friend, then he had to lead the meeting with the prefects and then he had to snog his best friend again. He was really busy, but he still wanted to see his sister.

"There you are," Ari said, finding his sister in the very last cart sitting with her favorite cousin, Albus.

"Ari!" Rose smiled in relief.

"So how are you enjoying the ride?" Ari asked sitting across from the other two.

"Enjoying," Albus scoffed glumly.

"Don't mind him, he's just worried about the sorting?" Rose said offhandedly but Ari knew that his sister was worried about that too, though not as much as Albus seemed to be.

"Don't worry about it," Ari said to Albus, "it doesn't really matter what house you're in..."

"Says someone that's already in Gryffindor and doesn't have anything to worry about," Albus muttered.

"We were all nervous before we're sorted but it will go away once you are," Ari said.

"But what if I'm sorted into Slytherin?" Albus said miserably. "Dad said I would have a choice... but what if I'm still put into Slytherin..."

"Then you're in Slytherin, and you'll be the best Slytherin you can be," Ari shrugged. "All it would really mean is that your Quidditch team and House wouldn't win the cup..."

"You're as bad as Dad," Rose rolled her eyes, but Ari didn't care, it wasn't so bad being compared to his dad. However, he noticed that Rose was thoughtful now, just like she was during breakfast.

"What's the matter Rosie?" Ari asked.

"Nothing," she said quickly but he didn't let her get away with that. "Fine, it's just, I've noticed lately that... well, that Mum calls Dad Matt or Matthew a lot..."

"Oh," Ari said he sat back looking thoughtful, he never really noticed that. "Does she?"

"Yeah," Rose frowned, how could her brother, who in her opinion knew everything, not see that. "And Dad sometimes calls her Jean..."

"And you don't know why," Ari said.

"No," Rose frowned. "And I don't understand why they don't even realize that they're doing it. I mean it should be noticeable when the person you love calls you a different name all the time, but they don't care at all."

"That's become they are calling each other by their names," Ari chuckled as Rose and Albus were looking at him like he was crazy. "It's a long story and you really should ask them about it when we get back home..."

"Arthur!" Rose groaned exasperated, and he chuckled. He knew she couldn't stand not having all the answers to her question right away.

"Sorry," Ari said. "I don't really know everything you see, I wasn't born yet for the beginning and I was only three and a half by the time it got resolved."

"What are you talking about?" Rose asked.

"Well, you see," Ari said rubbing the back of his head nervously, "Mum and Dad didn't only get to meet each other and fall in love once..." Ari started and he spent the rest of the train ride telling his little sister everything he knew about their parents' memory loss and how they had found each other, even without knowing the truth. The story came naturally to him, because from the time he was four until he was six he would have his mum tell him about it, loving how she would act out all the different parts. He never realized that his brother and sister might not have known about this, but he hoped this would show his sister just how truly perfect their parents really were together.

**A/N: Okay, like I said this is it, though I supposed if people wanted I might do a chapter about Ron and Hermione's wedding. If I do that chapter it would be in a couple weeks from now though. Anyways, I hope you like this chapter and I hope it's clear that this is supposed to be the same day, and the same things happened, as the end of the Deathly Hallows. **


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